Grey
by yastaghr
Summary: Blue and Stretch are falling apart until they end up in Underfell. Sometimes something unexpected can bring people together. (Eventual SpicyCherryBerry)
1. Chapter 1 - Break

Stretch slammed open the door to his laboratory and said over his shoulder, "i don't get why you would just do that! you didn't ask me if you could tell her. you just chatted away like a chirpy little bluebird and let slip that we were dating!"

Blue, just behind him, stomped the snow off his boots at the top of the stairs.

"ITS ALPHYS! WHY WOULDN'T I TELL HER? SHE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

Stretch kicked a stuck drawer hard until it opened up.

"she's also the captain of the royal guard! and, i don't know if you're aware of this despite me telling you over and over, but this is illegal."

Blue shoved the door closed with a little more force than necessary.

"NO IT'S NOT! IF YOU'D BOTHERED TO LISTEN TO ME EARLIER, YOU'D KNOW THAT I WAS ASKING HER IF IT WAS. AND SHE SAID-"

"-i'm the fucking judge," Stretch interrupted him, "are you saying I wouldn't know if shit like this is illegal or not?"

"DON'T INTERRUPT ME! AND DON'T SWEAR!" Blue stamped his foot.

Stretch dragged the tarp off of his machine and rolled his eyes.

"oh, like that's the important thing here. i'm a fucking adult and you don't get to tell me what I can and cannot say!"

Blue clenched his fists.

"I'VE NEVER DONE THAT!"

"what the hell?" Stretch said, pushing the new battery in his hands into the machine's port, "you just fucking did!"

Blue grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"I DID NOT!"

Stretch snatched the hand off his shoulder and flung Blue into the machine. A crack sounded. It sent Blue reeling into the wall, cradling his left arm and panting.

Stretch immediately went to the machine, checking the paneling and missing the glowing light on the side. It began to blink. When he couldn't find something obviously wrong, he rounded on Blue.

"what the hell is your problem? i'm your brother. i'm your boyfriend. you should listen to what i say. i've told you to be careful in here!"

Blue blinked a few times. Then he scowled.

"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO-"

The world went white.

Grey. That was the first thought that trickled into Blue's head. Grey was...not what he had been expecting. Had he been expecting something? Blue's brain felt fuzzy and full of cotton wool. Or maybe steel wool. Something grey and full of pain. Like his arm.

Blue rolled away from the pain and onto his right side. Then he wiggled his way into a tailor's seat. He tried rolling his left shoulder to work out the kink. Raw bone ground against bone. Okay. Definitely not doing that again. He wondered what Alphys had done this time that broke his bone. Given the way his head was swimming, he probably had a concussion as well. Time to grit his way through one of the Captain's sloppy healings. He could just-

This wasn't the training grounds or Alphys' front yard. This was snow. Or at least, mostly snow. It was too grey for proper snow. In fact, it looked like he was sitting in Dust.

Blue leaned forward, uncrossed his legs so he was kneeling, and shifted his weight to his left knee. He was just about to shift the other leg around front when he heard the moan. He turned his head and saw Stretch laying, facing him, not ten feet away. He saw Stretch's eyes open. They blinked. They blew wide open. In the same moment, Stretch pushed himself back and whimpered.

Blue sighed, got up, and walked over to his younger brother. He got down and in his face; between Stretch and the Dust.

"LOOK AT ME, STRETCH. NO, DON'T LOOK AT THE GROUND," Blue reached up with his right hand and redirected Stretch's skull. He continued, "STRETCH, LOOK INTO MY SOCKETS PLEASE. GOOD JOB. I'M HERE, STRETCH. NOTHING IS GOING TO HURT YOU. YOU'RE SAFE, STRETCH. WHAT ARE YOU?"

"'m safe," Stretch mumbled. Blue could feel his soul beat calming down.

"GOOD JOB. NOW, CAN YOU GET UP ON YOUR OWN?"

Stretch tried. He managed the maneuver, even if it was wobbly. Blue forced his knees to let him stand. Because he was about 2/3 as big as Stretch was, his little brother could see over him. He stiffened. Blue turned around to see what it was.

Sitting at the sentry station that had been directly behind them was a skeleton. He was tall and thin, taller than even Stretch was when he wasn't slouching. He was wearing a good set of guard armour. Not shiny, polished armour like Captain Alphys wore, but scuffed up, dented armour that had taken a beating. Underneath the armour he wore a black leather jerkin. It had patches in it. Some were sewn well, but other ones were sloppy. He also had a ragged red scarf around his neck. But the most remarkable thing was his face. It looked like Stretch's.

The other skeleton got up to the sound of creaking metal. He moved slowly. His armour scraped and creaked in a way that had Blue wondering if this skeleton spent any time oiling it at all. Below the breast plate's tassets were leather pants and red-brown boots. They shuffled through the Dust and snow.

"COME," Was the only word the other said. He simply turned onto the main path, clearly assuming they would follow. Blue and Stretch exchanged a look. Then Stretch followed Blue in the other's footsteps.

Everything they passed was grey, grey, grey. The snow was gritty underneath their feet. The trees were scorched, scarred, and sparse. The path was muddy, no stones at all. The sentry stations they passed were built tough. They could take a lot and, in most cases, had. One looked fairly new, but the landscape around it was charcoal. The previous one must have burned.

Eventually they reached the town of Snowdin. What few buildings there were were built of stone. There was no library. Muffet's restaurant was replaced by a forge. And their house…

Their house was a third the size it was supposed to be. It wasn't much more than a bungalow. It was still the largest building in the town, but it definitely wasn't the large house they were used to. If they hadn't figured out they were a long way from home already, that would have proved it.

The strange skeleton led them into the house without a word. Once inside, he bolted the door and dropped a wooden bar across the doorway. Then he brushed past Blue's left side on his way to the kitchen. Blue didn't move in time to avoid having the bone fragments grind against each other again. He gritted his teeth and tried to stabilize his arm. Gloved hands covered his own.

Blue looked up to see the strange skeleton eyeing his arm with concern. Then the stranger sighed.

"BROKEN?"

Blue nodded.

"WHICH BONE?"

Blue said, "I'M NOT SURE. I THINK IT'S MY SCAPULA."

The stranger nodded and said, "REMOVE YOUR SHIRT. I'LL GET THE KIT."

Stretch pushed his way between them, causing Blue's shoulder to grind even further. The way it was moving made Blue wonder if his collarbone might have been broken, too.

Stretch seethed, "what makes you think you're going to get my brother to do anything? you've just dragged us across half the underground and you think-"

Blue interrupted him, exhausted, "STRETCH. THIS PLACE LOOKS A LOT LESS...CIVILIZED THAN HOME, AND I'M INJURED. HE'S JUST TRYING TO HELP. CAN YOU AT LEAST WAIT TO YELL AT HIM UNTIL WE KNOW HIS NAME?"

Stretch opened his mouth to argue and closed it. His eye lights still looked like they were on the edge of something. An attack? A scream? A whimper? It could go any way. Stretch was scared, and when Stretch got scared, he lashed out. But Blue didn't have the energy to deal with his attitude today.

"IT'S EDGE."

Both brothers turned to look at Edge. He was holding a torn sheet, a bandage roll, and some wood splinters.

"MY NAME IS EDGE, AND," Here Edge handed the first aid supplies to a bewildered Stretch, "IF IT MAKES YOU MORE COMFORTABLE, YOU CAN DO IT."

"i, uh...don't know how," Stretch admitted as Blue began to pull off his shirt.

"THEN...MAY I HELP?" Edge asked.

Blue pointedly said said, "YOU CAN, EDGE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS, AND MY NAME IS BLUE."

Stretch turned, saw that Blue already had his shirt off, and blushed. Edge stepped forward and examined Blue's entire shoulder. Then he grabbed both sides of Blue's clavicle carefully.

"THIS IS GOING TO HURT," he warned.

"I KNOW," Blue said, "JUST GET IT OVER WITH."

Edge didn't even count it down. He just forced the two ends of Blue's clavicle back together. Blue winced. Stretch fainted.

Edge didn't turn when Stretch thumped on the floor. He was too busy wrapping, splinting, and then rewrapping Blue's clavicle. He didn't look down when he was done, either. He just stepped behind Blue and slid pieces of bone until they were in a more satisfying position. Then he grabbed the sheet, used it to make a sling around Blue's left arm, and tied it off. Then he wrapped the sling tight to Blue's chest, completely immobilizing the arm.

"IS THAT ACCEPTABLE, BLUE?" Edge asked.

Blue twisted and dodged. The setup didn't budge. He smiled at Edge and said, "PERFECT."

Edge turned away quickly. "WELL THEN, I'LL LEAVE YOU TO...WAKE UP YOUR BROTHER. WE'LL NEED MORE FOOD IF YOU'RE TO STAY HERE UNTIL YOU CAN FIX THE MACHINE. I'M AFRAID IT'S NOT IN GOOD SHAPE. THERE'S A BED UPSTAIRS. I'LL TAKE THE COUCH DOWN HERE."

Blue said, guiltily, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT."

Edge was already halfway to the door. He lifted the bar and said, "I SLEEP DOWN HERE ANYWAY. JUST...TAKE YOUR BROTHER UPSTAIRS. THERE'S LASAGNA IN THE FRIDGE."

With that, Edge was out the door and shutting it behind him. Blue sighed and looked around. The kitchen was across from the front door. A couch was shoved against the opposite wall. A TV sat in the middle of the room. A table and chairs were against the right wall. The stairs were against the left. A thick, red rug lay underneath it all. Stretch was sprawled on the edge of it.

Blue went and got a glass of water from the sink. Some of the bandages got splashed, but he filled it in the end. Then he walked back over and splashed it on Stretch's face.

"wha- blue?" Stretched started awake.

"EDGE HELPED ME FIX THE BONES YOU BROKE. THERE'S LASAGNA FOR YOU IN THE FRIDGE. I'M GOING UPSTAIRS TO BED. EDGE SHOULD BE BACK SOON. YOU CAN APOLOGIZE IN THE MORNING."

With that, Blue turned on his heels, walked over to the stairs, and climbed out of sight of the stunned brother still dripping on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2 - Breakfast for Two

Blue woke up with a groan. His arm hurt like nobody's business. The crack on his scapula was the worst of it. He'd gone to sleep on his side, but at some point he must have rolled over. He really should see about finding some healing food to eat, or at least find some painkillers. Then he could block it out.

The smaller skeleton sat up and looked around the room. Only one bed, double wide, graced the room. There was also only one window in the right wall. It was lots of little panes in an iron framework with holes too small for anything to fit through. The door that led to the staircase was in the corner of the room nearest the window. Another door opposite the window led to a closet. It was bare. The walls themselves were panelled in some kind of wood, oak or pine maybe, that had been stained dark and almost red. There had to be insulation behind them, because Blue hadn't felt the cold at all.

The floor, too, was dark stained wood. It was a slightly lighter color. The planks were narrower. Rugs were scattered here and there. Most were water-stained fake fur, probably salvaged from the dump. One of these rugs held Blue's brother.

Stretch was curled up under a towel. He looked sad, curled up on the floor like that. It reminded Blue of a time long gone, when Stretch had slept on whatever scraps of cloth Blue had managed to scavenge that day. They were always wet, and it was never enough to fully cover Stretch. The only reason Blue didn't feel guilty about that was that he'd been sleeping without any coverings, keeping guard against whatever might try to take his brother away from him.

Blue let himself relax. No one was going to hurt Stretch again, not if Blue could help it. Broken bones or no broken bones, Blue was tough enough to take on anyone. Or at least, he thought he could. He might not win, but he could drag the fight out long enough for Stretch to escape.

Blue flung back the covers with his good hand and started scooting over towards Stretch. He needed his brother right now. Stretch was calm. He was a rock in stormy seas. Blue might occasionally bash himself on it a little too hard, but that was his fault, not Stretch's. It was never Stretch's fault. Blue just had a hard time remembering all the triggers that set his brother off. Triggers like someone holding his bad shoulder.

Blue was standing just next to his brother when Stretch's eyes blinked open. His brother rubbed his sockets, looked around, and fixated on his brother. He blushed as he eyed his naked ribs, then choked on a swear word when he saw the bandage.

"blue? are you...are you okay?" Stretch said, his voice small.

Blue nodded as he kneeled down.

"JUST A BREAK, STRETCH. I'LL BE HEALED UP IN A FEW WEEKS."

Stretch gulped and looked away. He mumbled, "good. that's...good. why didn't alphys just heal it?"

Blue felt so disappointed in his brother. Then again, he'd never been that quick to wake up in the morning.

"SHE DIDN'T DO IT, STRETCH. YOU DID."

Stretch's face was a mask of guilt. His eye lights slid away from Blue's and his skull retreated into his shoulders. He muttered, "i'm sorry i hurt you. i'm so, so sorry. who bandaged you up?"

Blue sighed. He'd really hoped his brother would have been better than this. He said, "DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING FROM LAST NIGHT AT ALL?"

"i…" Stretch hesitated. His eye lights flickered as he tried to muster up any kind of a memory. He said slowly, "...we were fighting. you told alphys about us dating. why would you do that? it's illeg-"

"-STRETCH. STAY ON TOPIC," Blue said simply.

Stretch scowled at him and said, "don't interrupt me."

Blue sucked in a breath and let out. He was better than this. He had to be better than this. He said, slowly, "I'M SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING YOU, STRETCH. CAN YOU PLEASE MOVE PAST OUR FIGHT TO THE REST OF LAST NIGHT?"

Stretch's face scrunched up, but he did it. He continued his narrative.

"i...went down to the basement to work on the machine. you followed me. we were still fighting. i- you grabbed my bad shoulder. you know, the one he...yeah. i don't really remember much after that? something about the machine...oh gods. it worked! the machine, it actually worked! we landed out by my station, only it wasn't my station, it was the other guy's station. he looked a lot like me. looks like me. and he took us back to his house, and...his name is edge, isn't it?"

Blue nodded and said, "YES, BROTHER. HIS NAME IS EDGE. HE HELPED ME BANDAGE MY ARM AND LEFT TO GET FOOD. I LEFT YOU DOWNSTAIRS, BUT YOU MUST HAVE COME UP AT SOME POINT. DID YOU EAT ANYTHING BEFORE YOU DID?"

Stretch looked slightly less guilty than he had before.

"yeah, i was feeling pretty worked up, so i had one of my special brownies. i got super hungry like always, so i ate a couple of containers of lasagna from the fridge. maybe more."

Blue scowled at his brother and said, "STRETCH! THAT'S RUDE - WHAT IF HE HAD BEEN SAVING THEM FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION? YOU DON'T JUST EAT SOMEONE ELSE'S FOOD!"

Stretch shrugged. He said, "dunno, bro. the whole fridge was packed tight with lasagna. i barely even made a dent."

"STILL," Blue huffed, "IT'S VERY POOR ETIQUETTE."

"yeah, well...actually, i'm kinda hungry now," Stretch said thoughtfully.

Blue narrowed his eye lights at his brother and said, "YOU ARE NOT EATING ANY MORE OF HIS LASAGNA WITHOUT ASKING!"

Stretch got to his feet like a baby giraffe standing up for the first time. He dusted off his hoodie, dropped the towel on the rug, and started towards the door.

Blue, disgusted, picked the towel up and took it over to the laundry hamper near the door. Then he ran to his brother and leaned his full weight into keeping Stretch from getting through that doorway. It didn't slow Stretch down in the slightest.

He pushed Blue out of the room and down the hall, smiling all the while. Blue huffed and tried to push back, but the corner of his mouth was fighting not to turn up. Moments like these made them remember what it was like to be brothers. Stretch was forever doing silly things to try and make his brother laugh, and Blue was constantly trying to keep his brother from doing things that were too dangerous or rude. It was what siblings do.

Only when they reached the top of the stairs did Stretch stop. Blue quickly glanced over his shoulder and saw the two heaping plates laid out on the table below. Some kind of jar sat between them. A candle maybe?

"is that for us?" Stretch asked incredulously.

Blue frowned. He let up on the pressure he was putting on Stretch by standing up straight. He was a bit more than two-thirds of Stretch's height. Stretch would have been 6'2" if he wasn't slouching. Blue was 4'5".

"I DON'T KNOW. IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS. AND," Blue quickly scanned the lower floor, "I DON'T SEE OUR HOST."

Stretch planted both of his hands on Blue's shoulder. He liked to pretend he was taller than he was and lean on his brother to see. This time, though, he remembered Blue's broken bones and lifted his hands off before he'd put any weight on them. He just stood on his tiptoes to peer over Blue instead.

"is that a note underneath the jam jar?" Stretch asked.

Blue rolled his eyes. "DO YOU SEE MY GLASSES ON ME? NO? SO I CAN'T SEE THAT WELL. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS A JAM JAR. I THOUGHT IT WAS SOME KIND OF CANDLE, LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE."

Stretch walked around him and started down the stairs. "nope, definitely a jam jar. some kind of red berry, can't tell from here. the plates have bacon and toast on them."

"I CAN SEE THAT. I'M NOT BLIND, JUST HALF-BLIND," Blue said.

Stretch chuckled as he walked over to the table. "you know, it has been a while since you've had your eyes tested. when we get home, you should go in. heck, i'll come in with you. please?"

Blue shook his head. "MY VISION IS FINE AS IT IS, AND YOURS IS BETTER."

Stretch pulled out the note from underneath the strawberry jam jar and read it out loud. "blue and stretch. i could not wait longer for you this morning; i pulled first shift. the food i left on the table is for you. if you are still hungry afterward, eat some of the lasagna in the fridge. i have left the basement key under the mat by the front door. i will be out very late tonight. you can go ahead and eat without me. stay safe, edge."

"THAT'S AN ODD SIGN OFF. STAY SAFE. I SUPPOSE IT MAKES SENSE IN A WORLD LIKE THIS, BUT IT'S...ODD."

Stretch shrugged. "different universe, different greetings. or phrasings, i guess. can we go eat?"

Blue sighed. Stretch was always thinking with his stomach. He ate so much it made Blue wince. He'd even competed in eating contests before. He'd never won, but he'd gotten in second place three times.

"YES, STRETCH, WE CAN EAT. BUT WASH YOUR HANDS FIRST!"

Stretch amiably walked into the kitchen. Blue heard the sink start running. Then Stretch said, "uh, bro? i don't think you want me washing my hands with this."

Blue hurried into the kitchen, ready to scold his brother for trying to get out of washing his hands. Then he saw the water. He was used to water coming out of the sink clear and clean. This was not the case. The water was grey-ish brown. It had to be full of dirt, Blue decided. He knew his father had been the one to invent the water filters for the Underground. Had that not happened here? He'd have to ask Edge about what his father had done before the accident. In the meantime, he would look around the house for the parts he needed to build the water filter.

"I GUESS, SINCE THE WATER IS SO DIRTY, THAT WE CAN GET AWAY WITH NOT WASHING OUR HANDS JUST THIS ONCE. BUT I'M GOING TO MAKE ONE OF DAD'S WATER FILTERS BEFORE LUNCHTIME!"

Stretch looked uncertain. "you sure you want to do that? we won't be here that long once i get my hands on the machine."

Blue sat down at the far side of the table and gave his brother an angry look.

"DAD WOULD BE SO DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU."

Stretch sat down and hung his head. He apologized, "sorry, bro. i know you and him liked to help people. just come down to the basement if you need any help."

Blue reached over and unscrewed the cap off the jam jar. Then he began spreading it on the piece of toast. "GOOD. NOW THAT THAT'S SETTLED, LET'S EAT."


	3. 3 - Missing Parts & Jumped Conclusions

Time had passed. Days, in fact - fifteen of them. A few days of extra shifts Blue could understand, but fifteen? His universe had a rule that no one could pull the early shift more than ten days in a row. After that, it started to mess with your health.

So Edge was definitely avoiding them. Blue wondered why. He also wondered where Edge's brother was. Blue had a brother who looked like Edge, so shouldn't Edge have a brother who looked like Blue? Maybe the other was working in another part of the Underground. It was a big place, after all. Sentries and Guards were posted throughout the length and breadth of it. It was possible that the other Sans was on duty. Blue was ignoring the the part of him that said the other Sans was dead, and he was completely blocking out the whisper that Edge might have killed him.

Blue slapped his face lightly to knock the bad thoughts out. He was currently sitting alone in the living room. The TV was on in front of him. The entertainment options here were decidedly murderous, but it was better than rereading all the books in the house (which he already had).

At least Stretch was having fun. He was down in the basement, working on the machine. That first day he'd come up with a scowl.

* * *

"_it's just a skeleton of what our one is, bro. someone must have taken out every single piece of useful machinery. it'll take months, maybe a year. we'll have to ask him to get us parts, though I doubt he'll agree. what's the point if all it's going to do is get rid of a few weird houseguests?"_

_Blue stamped his foot. "PAPPY, THAT'S RUDE! JUST BECAUSE HE COMES FROM A WORLD THAT IS NOT NICE DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE'S SELFISH! HE TOOK US INTO HIS HOME AND HAS BEEN FEEDING US. AND HE EVEN SAID YOU COULD WORK ON THE MACHINE. SURELY HE WON'T REFUSE TO GIVE YOU THE PARTS YOU NEED."_

_Stretch looked at him patronizingly. Blue hated when he did that! _

"_and how do you know he will? he's done nothing to show us that he's kind."_

_Blue harrumphed. "HOW DO YOU KNOW HE WON'T? I JUST TOLD YOU ALL THE REASONS HE WILL! I WISH YOU WOULD STOP JUDGING PEOPLE ON SO LITTLE EVIDENCE."_

"_sorry, bro."_

* * *

That had ended the conversation. But it hadn't ended Stretch's doubts. He kept making disparaging comments at every opportunity. Blue was more than a little sick of it. He wanted to give the rough skeleton the benefit of the doubt, not dismiss him entirely because of the world he came from. They hadn't even gotten to explore yet. Stretch wasn't even judging on that much experience. He was going off a bad first meeting. So rude.

Speaking of Edge, Blue was surprised when the front door creaked open and the scarred skeleton came in the door. He stopped just inside the door and pulled it closed. Then he started removing his armour and boots, seemingly unaware of Blue's presence.

Blue coughed quietly. Edge froze in the middle of taking off his breastplate and spun. Blue lifted his unbroken hand up. Edge forced himself to relax.

"OH. BLUE. I FORGOT YOU WOULD BE HERE."

Blue lowered his hand and gulped. Now that Edge was here, all the questions and good intentions that had been building up in his mind were evaporating. What was he going to say?

"I- UM- THANK YOU FOR LETTING US STAY IN YOUR HOUSE! IT IS VERY NICE."

Edge blinked, startled by the loud outburst. Then he sighed. "DON'T MENTION IT. I WOULD HARDLY HAVE LEFT YOU OUT IN THE COLD. YOU ARE CLEARLY VERSIONS OF ME AND...MY BROTHER. YOU HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO, HERE. ALONG THAT LINE, HOW IS YOUR RESTORATION OF THE MACHINE GOING?"

Blue answered, "AS WELL AS COULD BE EXPECTED. MY BROTHER IS WORKING ON IT, SO IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR YOU TO ASK HIM. I DO KNOW IT WAS JUST A FRAMEWORK WHEN HE STARTED ON IT. HE MENTIONED NEEDING PARTS?"

Edge huffed. Blue was watching him, looking for the signs that he might decide to ignore the need for parts, or worse, decide that keeping them around was no longer worth it.

Edge was already reaching for his armour. What was he going to do?

"I'LL TAKE HIM. THE DUMP IS A DANGEROUS PLACE TO GO ALONE. WE CAN EASILY PICK UP THE PARTS WE NEED AND BE BACK HERE BEFORE ANYONE TAKES AN INTEREST."

Blue let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Edge was being a good person, just like he'd thought he would. So much for Stretch's little pet theory. Oh.

"UM, THERE MIGHT BE A BIT OF A PROBLEM WITH THAT. MY BROTHER IS...OH, HOW DO I PUT THIS," Blue hummed for a moment, "MY BROTHER IS VERY JUDGEMENTAL. HE SORT OF HAS TO BE, WITH HIS JOB, BUT...HE HAS GOTTEN IN THE HABIT OF JUDGING PEOPLE ON VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE. AND HE HAS- WITH YOU, I MEAN- ALREADY DECIDED THAT YOU ARE. NOT GOOD? AS IN HE THINKS YOU ARE BAD."

"OH," Edge sagged a little, which only drew attention to the fact that he had been standing at tension. He looked...depressed, but not surprised.

Blue jumped into the silence to try and cheer their host up, "I DON'T THINK YOU'RE BAD. I THINK YOU'RE GOOD! HE JUST...JUMPED TO CONCLUSIONS. AGAIN. BUT I'M SURE YOU CAN CHANGE HIS MIND IF YOU TRY!"

Edge didn't look very enthusiastic about this. His shoulders were still sagged and his chin was almost touching his neck. Blue hated it. His brother could be so careless. Yes, there was no way Stretch could have known that it would have such a big impact on Edge. But that didn't mean it wasn't rude! And the lack of energy on Edge's face made Blue want to perk him up. It hurt that someone, even a stranger, could be so hurt by something Blue had said.

"HEY, DON'T WORRY. I'LL GO TO THE DUMP WITH YOU! I'M SURE HE CAN WRITE US A LIST OR SOMETHING," Blue injected his voice with cheer.

"NO," Edge said firmly, "NOT WITH THAT ARM. YOU'D BE USELESS IN AN ATTACK."

Blue huffed, "I'D BE MORE USEFUL IN AN ATTACK THAN MY BROTHER. HE'S SUCH A LAZYBONES. HE NEVER TRAINS WITH HIS ATTACKS, SO THEY ONLY DO ONE DAMAGE. YOU'D BE BETTER OFF TO TAKE ME. AND I'VE TRAINED TO FIGHT WITH ONE ARM. I CAN HELP!"

"REALLY?" Edge said doubtfully, "AND HOW EXACTLY DO YOU PLAN ON PROVING THAT?"

Blue glared at him, but there was no menace in it. He just disliked that the other was doubting his word. He had enough of that in his life. "THROW AN ATTACK AT ME. THAT WILL-"

"NO!" Edge looked absolutely horrified. Then he shook his head and said, softer, "NO. I WON'T."

Blue sighed. "THEN I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROVE IT TO YOU. MAYBE I COULD THROW AN ATTACK AT YOU?"

Edge looked thoughtful. He eyed Blue up and down, but it felt more like when Alphys was sizing him up for the day's activities than when someone was deciding if he was worth buying dinner for or not.

"GIVE ME YOUR STRONGEST ATTACK PATTERN," Edge finally said.

Blue grinned and summoned up a hoard of bone attacks. Then he threw them at Edge, alternating top, bottom, and speed for several minutes. Edge dodged them without too much difficulty, but he did take a few hit. When the attack was over, the taller skeleton gave him an appraising look. Then he nodded.

"YOU'LL DO. I'VE BEEN ORDERED TO TAKE TOMORROW OFF, SO BE PREPARED TO LEAVE AT 6. THE BIG GANGS DON'T LIKE TO GET UP BEFORE NOON."

Blue fought the urge to pump a fist up in the air as the other turned around and slinked into the kitchen. He had the feeling that getting this respect from Edge was something to be proud of. He couldn't wait to tell his brother about this. Hopefully it'd help change his opinion on Edge.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Dump

Drip. Drip. Drip-drip. Drip. Slow, quiet rain fell down from the cave ceiling and dripped down onto the Waterfall floors. Sometimes it fell in the big mountains of grey sludge shoveled up against the walls. Sometimes it fell in the narrow path between. It was so narrow that only one monster could walk in either direction at any given time.

What that meant was that Blue had to walk behind Edge on a very narrow track. He also had to make sure there was no one behind them. An ambush would be awful. Luckily he could hear if anyone was coming because of the large amount of puddles, or, more accurately, streams.

Blue was taken aback when the skeleton in front of him wasn't there the next time he looked forward. He stopped dead, but before he could summon a weapon he saw that to his right was the entrance of the dump. He dodged into it, but ran into something bigger than him. His shoulder burned. When he looked Blue could see that it was Edge who he'd run into. Edge flashed him the barest sliver of a smile.

Blue stepped around to the side of Edge and his jaw dropped open. Everything was gone. He was used to there being hundreds of piles in an area almost as big as Snowdin. Instead there were only a handful of them, all the way towards the waterfall into the abyss.

"WHERE IS ALL THE TRASH?"

Edge stopped and gave him a weird look. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

"I MEAN," Blue gestured out at the expanse of empty water, "THE DUMP IS EMPTY. THERE SHOULD BE PILES OF GARBAGE ALL OVER. WHY ARE THERE ONLY A FEW?"

Edge tilted his head. Then he shrugged and said, "THE GANGS THAT RULE HERE TAKE EVERY LAST SCRAP OF MATERIAL TO SELL IN THE CAPITOL. THEY CHARGE RIDICULOUSLY LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY. I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY THEM, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE HERE SO EARLY."

Blue blinked. The idea that there were gangs at all was an alien one. The closest thing to a gang back home was the teenagers who were living in the Snowdin forest.

"OH. THAT'S...OKAY THEN. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING SO MUCH EFFORT INTO THIS."

Edge sighed and set off through the calf-deep water. "PLEASE DON'T THANK ME. OR COMPLIMENT ME. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO...THINK OF ME AS SOFT."

Blue's eyes narrowed. His head started working on figuring out what Edge had originally been going to say. Was it just been a moment of word-loss? He doubted that was it as much as he doubted that this world was so unforgiving as to not have compliments. Maybe Edge didn't like them? What else could it have been?

He walked in that weird shuffling, bow-legged gait that was the only reasonable way to walk in water. He couldn't be as quiet with it as Edge was doing, but he wasn't loud, either.

They were walking for quite some time before Blue realized that they weren't alone. Up ahead was a tall monster. They were wearing full body armor, so Blue couldn't make out much more about them. Edge seemed to know them, though. He went right over and clasped forearms with the helmeted monster. It made Blue think of his own greetings with Alphys.

"IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU, CAPTAIN."

"You too, nerd. You've been skipping out on our training sessions. Being on duty is no excuse. I expect to see you at my house tomorrow after- who is that?"

The only reason Blue didn't flinch when the helmeted stranger summoned a hundred spears to threaten him from all directions was that Alph had trained the startle response out of him. He smiled widely as if the spears weren't even there.

"HI! MY NAME IS BLUE. ME AND MY BROTHER, STRETCH, LANDED HERE AFTER AN ACCIDENT WITH A MACHINE. EDGE HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO TAKE US IN."

The unknown monster turned their head towards Edge. He nodded, backing Blue up.

"Ugh, fine. I guess I won't kill you then. How long until you're out of my hair?"

Blue shrugged. The shrug turned into a wince when his broken scapula and collarbone protested. That had not been a good idea. It hurt, but not enough to prevent him from answering, "MY BROTHER IS WORKING ON FIXING THE MACHINE HERE. WE ARE GETTING HIM PARTS NOW."

"Then I might as well help you. After all, the sooner you get the parts, the sooner you will be gone. Give me the list," The other demanded.

Blue passed it over, saying, "I HAVE A PICTURE OF IT ON MY PHONE."

Edge and the stranger both stared at him. eventually the stranger asked, "You have a phone? You must be a member of your Royal Guard, then."

Blue scrunched up his face in confusion. "UM, NO? I'M IN TRAINING TO BE A GUARD HEALER WITH CAPTAIN ALPHYS, BUT I'VE HAD A PHONE FOR AGES. EVERYONE I KNOW HAS ONE."

Edge said, incredulously, "DID YOU JUST SAY _CAPTAIN ALPHYS?_"

Blue nodded. The helmeted stranger burst out laughing. "Next you're going to tell me Asgore isn't the king!"

"UM, YES? I MEAN, HE IS, BUT HE LEFT TO GO LIVE IN THE RUINS A LONG TIME AGO. EVEN BEFORE I WAS BORN. QUEEN TORIEL IS THE RULER OF THE UNDERGROUND - AT LEAST, SHE IS IN MY WORLD. IS THAT NOT TRUE HERE?"

The other two both shook their heads. "Nope. Dude, your world is messed up."

Blue nodded thoughtfully. "IT IS DIFFERENT THAN HERE, CERTAINLY. MAY I PLEASE, UM, MAKE A GUESS?" The others nodded, and he went on, "BY ANY CHANCE, WOULD YOUR NAME HAPPEN TO BE UNDYNE?"

"It is, but I usually go by Felldyne," the newly discovered Felldyne admitted, "What's it to you?"

"I HAVE JUST BEEN GOING THROUGH SEVERAL COMPLICATED WAYS TO REFER TO YOU IN MY HEAD. IT IS NICE TO BE ABLE TO USE AN ACTUAL NAME."

"What does your Undyne do, then?" Felldyne asked curiously.

Blue smiled. "SHE'S THE ROYAL SCIENTIST. I HAVEN'T DEALT WITH HER MUCH MYSELF, BUT I KNOW SHE IS A FRIEND OF MY BROTHER'S."

Edge shook his head. "OUR ALPHYS, WHOM WE CALL SCALES, IS THE ROYAL SCIENTIST. IT IS HARD TO PICTURE HER AS DOING ANYTHING PHYSICAL. SHE IS EXTREMELY CLUMSY AND SHORT-SIGHTED."

"I COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT UNDYNE. NO OFFENSE MET, BUT SHE LITERALLY WALKED INTO HER OWN CHAIR ONCE."

Felldyne laughed. "Guess our worlds really are swapped."

Blue nodded. "THAT'S ALMOST A PERFECT WAY TO DESCRIBE IT. BUT I KIND OF FEEL LIKE THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE. NO OFFENSE, BUT THIS WORLD IS SO MUCH MORE ROUGH AND VIOLENT. THERE'S SO MUCH DUST YOU HAVE TO SHOVEL IT!"

Both of the others tilted their heads. Felldyne's tilt caused a metal screech. Once it was over, Edge said, "IS THAT...NOT THE CASE IN YOUR WORLD?"

Blue shook his head, gripping the edge of his shirt tightly in one hand. He felt along the worn edge. He'd been wearing this shirt for 16 days now. There was no laundry machine in the house. Every wash with the now-filtered water took a little bit more of his shirt with it. But he didn't want to mention this to Edge. They were imposing enough on him already.

"NO. IT'S RARE THAT THERE'S MORE THAN ONE DUSTING A YEAR. AND-"

Hurried footsteps behind him cut him off. All three turned, two with magic attacks summoned and at the ready. Far off, in the path that leads to the dump, a brief snapshot of a running monster in brown leather could be seen. A few seconds later, two more figures in the same shade of brown trotted past. Blue could feel the other two stiffen.

"Okay. Edge? Get the far pile. Blue, you cover the one right here. I'll keep watch and make sure no one sneaks up on you two. Get going!"

Edge saluted and ran off towards the distant pile. Blue went to go to the one behind her, but she stopped him with an arm.

Once he was near, she quietly said, "Look, I don't know you. You might be the worst person I've ever known. But he seems to trust you, and right now, you're closer to him than me, so I have to ask: Take care of Edge. Please. He's been through a lot."

He didn't even have to think about it. "I'LL TRY."

"Good. Oh, and while you're at it, get him to come to his training sessions. Not that I don't trust you, but...well, I don't trust you. I want to be able to see him for myself."

Blue smiled. "I CAN DO THAT."

"Good. Now go get going! The gangs will be here soon."

He did just that. He didn't want to get in a fight anymore than she did.


	5. Chapter 5 - Grey as Dust

Four days had passed. Stretch had pointed out just this morning that they had been in this hellhole (Stretch's words, not his) for twenty days. That seemed like a lot, but at the same time it didn't seem like enough. So much had happened once Felldyne had met them. Blue had been going over there everyday for training. He'd even managed to drag Edge with him! It was nice to see Edge relaxed for once. Being around Felldyne made it clear that Edge needed help.

They'd just left Felldyne's now. If he could have flown, Blue was sure he would be doing so. He'd actually managed to knock her off her feet. She'd been impressed, too. She'd called him champ. She hadn't even called Edge that.

Blue snuck a glance at Edge as they walked through the shallow backwaters of the river. Edge made sure they never took the same way home twice. It made sense. They were a target for every gang from here to the Capitol. Felldyne had made it clear that Edge was her second in command as well as her friend. If the gangs could take out one or both of them then the guard would be seriously affected.

What Blue saw when he looked at Edge wasn't good. Edge looked exhausted. He'd looked exhausted the entire time they had been there. It went away a bit when Felldyne was around. But the minute they left it was back to exhaustion.

Blue had tried to help his...well, his friend. If Edge got more sleep, wouldn't he be less tired? That seemed logical to him, but it didn't seem to be working. Edge only seemed to get more tired every time Blue looked at him. It was frustrating. Blue wanted to help his friend, but he didn't know how!

Maybe he needed more information. What if something happened to Edge? What if someone hurt him? Felldyne had said to take care of him. Maybe she meant that literally? But then why wasn't Edge's brother helping?

"EDGE," Blue asked before the thought ran away, "WHERE IS YOUR SANS?"

* * *

In the depths of the basement, Stretch cursed creatively. He held his thumb and curled around it as he hopped in a circle. Then he tripped over the big wrench and fell flat on his back. After another fervent curse left him, Stretch panted hard to catch his breath.

Suddenly the absurdity of the situation struck him. Here he was, working away at a machine that fought him at every turn. His thumb had gotten pinched for the fourth time today, and he'd reacted to it like a big baby. It didn't even hurt that bad. And while he was reacting like a baby of course he would find the biggest obstacle on the floor to trip over. He probably looked like the big baby he was acting like. He chuckled a bit at himself. He really was an idiot.

Once his laughter had trickled to a stop, Stretch got his hands in front of him to help him stand. This new position allowed him to see a small jar in the bottom of the counters' shelves. He could have sworn it hadn't been there before. Maybe it had stuff in it? It couldn't hurt to have a look.

Stretch grabbed the jar and pulled it into his lap. It was surprisingly heavy, and Stretch almost dropped it. What did it have in there, bolts? The sides of the glass were all scratched up and dusty, so he couldn't see in. He kind of hoped there were bolts. Finding good metal that wasn't bent or rusty with age was apparently too hard of a task for their thundercloud of a host. Stretch knew Blue was trying his best, but that monster…Stretch shook his head to clear the thoughts. If he started that again he would never get anything done.

Suddenly, the silver lid that was capping the jar came loose. Stretch tried shaking it next to his skull, but the only noise it made was a little bit of puffing. Maybe it was flour, then? It sounded like flour, but why would you keep a jar of flour on the lowest shelf in your basement?

With a little pop the cap came loose. Stretch let it fall to the ground. A little bit of the grey powder from the jar slid out after it. Stretch tucked two fingers into the jar and felt around, sending more of it puffing all over Stretch and the floor. It felt a little grainy under his fingers. Maybe some water or oil had gotten in? What was it, anyway? He put his fingers to his tongue to give it a taste. He spit it out almost immediately. That was a taste no one wanted on their tongue.

Stretch shoved the jarful of monster Dust off of his lap. It slid over to the cabinets and fell over. Dust spilled over everything. Stretch desperately tried to brush it off his clothes, but nothing he did seemed to help.

He was seriously starting to panic now. What kind of sick person kept a jar of Dust in their basement? How many monster would it take to fill that big of a jar? Was he safe here? Was Blue safe here? Oh stars, Blue was with that maniac. What if he killed him? Blue's dust might never make it home to his favorite puzzle. He had to save him. He had to do something!

* * *

_The cold wind blew against two huddled figures in a clearing in the scorched trees. All around them it stirred grey and red, dust and blood. The snow was melting over the heat of it. As it did, the blood mixed with the melting snow to form pink rivers flowing towards the cliffs. _

_Edge shivered in the biting cold. It was funny how it never got to him before, but now it did. All his life he'd been ambivalent to the temperature of his bones. But now, in this moment, he knew he would never be warm enough again. The chill just kept creeping deeper. It froze his marrow in place and stopped several cuts from bleeding as they should. They froze Red's cuts, too. _

_Edge knew his brother better than he knew himself. He knew that smile was fake by the curve of his left socket. It was a mask Red used only when he was deeply worried about something. Edge knew that arm would never be useful again because of the gritty, grainy feeling of something pouring into his boot. But Edge nodded along to Red's denial like he actually believed a word of it. Edge knew Red's spine was broken because of the angle of the column beneath his hands. Still he let his magic flow into it like it wasn't a hopeless cause. And Edge knew Red wasn't going to wake up again by the way his eye lights kept fading. But Edge recited their bedtime story like he'd be able to rouse him from their bed with a gentle touch. _

_Edge did a lot of things to comfort Red because he loved him. Not the haphazard, shallow love of brothers, but the deep, permeating love of bondmates. Edge would do anything to keep Red from being in pain, even if it meant accepting the way their soul-bond was crumbling. _

_So when Red closed his eyes and didn't immediately fall to dust, Edge couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it an hour later, when Felldyne found him among the remains of their attackers. He couldn't believe it eight hours later, when the hospital staff gave him the room number and herded him gently into the room where his brother lay motionless. He couldn't believe it a week later, when Felldyne dragged him out of his lobby and demanded he get back to work. He couldn't believe it four months later, when his brother's look-a-like had fallen into their world and spoken to him like a ghost. _

_He still couldn't believe it now. _

* * *

Blue didn't think the question he had asked was threatening. It wasn't meant to be threatening. He'd only wanted to satisfy his curiosity. So when Edge burst into tears and bolted away, Blue was just stunned. It wasn't until Edge was around the corner into the dark mushroom maze that Blue reacted.

"Dang it," Blue swore. Well, he didn't really swear. He didn't think there was any excuse for swearing with bad language. You could get everything you needed with less offensive words.

Blue bolted on down the hallway, following the retreating sounds of Edge's running feet into the dark maze of a room.


	6. Chapter 6 - Breaking Down

Blue's feet pounded on the squishy, soft grass of the maze. He'd been trying to follow Edge, but all he had to go on was the sound of running boots ahead of him. The sound didn't help him avoid the ditches and hillocks of the mushroom maze. He'd tripped and fallen so many times it was hard to count. His broken shoulder was angry at being jostled too much. But even that pain didn't stop him from running after Edge. It only slowed him down.

The biggest challenge for him came when Edge stopped running ahead of him. The silence gave him no direction. Blue forced himself to stop running and stop breathing. Eventually he heard, over the pounding of his soul, the sobs of a distraught monster off to his right. Perfect.

Blue walked as quietly as he could in the wet ground. It was growing wetter by the second. In a few steps he went from marshy grass to a creek deep enough to slosh over the sides of his boots. His sock was now sopping wet and his feet were cold, but it all was worth it if he could help Edge. Blue wasn't sure he could. Edge sounded absolutely heartbroken...oh.

Edge huddled in the curve of the creek. His soul was cradled in his hands. It was deep mahogany red. One of the bells, though, appeared to be a brighter, cherry-colored red. At least, the part of it that remained was that color. About a third of that bell was missing. The edge was raw. Dust was trickling off the raw wound. It was still dissolving. Edge was trying to catch all the tumbling Dust with his gloved hands. It wasn't working. His movements were almost frantic as he tried to stem the flow.

Blue swallowed. That was a horrible wound to have on a bond. The brightened section of the soul was the mark of a soul bond, and the sheer size of the area it took up signified that it was a deep bond. Thinking of such a bond dissolving was scary. They were meant to last forever.

Blue reached up and started untying his bandanna. Stretch had given it to him a long time ago. He usually tried hard to keep it clean, but Edge needed it too much right now. He called out quietly, trying not to alert any gang members as to Edge's vulnerable state, "EDGE? I'M GOING TO COME CLOSER TO YOU. I HAVE A PIECE OF CLOTH WE CAN USE AS A BANDAGE ON THAT...ON YOUR BOND. IS THAT OKAY? CAN I DO THAT?"

Edge stifled his sobs and turned towards Blue's voice. His eye lights looked crazy, like he might throw an attack at Blue at any moment. The smaller skeleton raised his hands, showing off that he had no attacks, only a bandanna to tie around the wound. Edge calmed down.

"GO AHEAD," Edge whispered hoarsely, "I TRUST YOU NOT TO KILL ME."

Blue stepped forward, crouching beside Edge and gently wrapping the soul in his bandanna. He tied it so the bell was as covered as possible. He could tell Edge didn't want to lose the dust.

Blue asked sympathetically, "WHAT HURT HIM?"

Edge seemed to fold inward on himself even more than he already had. "HE- THERE WERE TWENTY OF THEM. THE RABBIT GANG ATTACKED. HE FOUGHT SO HARD, BUT HE...ONE OF THEM GOT HIM THROUGH HIS SHOULDER. HIS ARM, IT...IT DUSTED. I SCRAPED UP AS MUCH OF THE DUST AS I COULD. IT'S IN A JAR IN THE BASEMENT. YOU KNOW, JUST IN CASE."

Blue nodded with understanding. He knew it was hopeless, but Edge clearly needed something to do to try and help.

Edge continued, "THEN ANOTHER OF THEM GRABBED HIM BY THE SPINE AND...SHOOK. RED WAS FACING THE OTHER WAY. WHEN HE TRIED TO SHAKE THEM OFF THEY- HE- A COUPLE OF VERTEBRAE BROKE. REALLY BAD. THE DOCTORS SAY HE'S LUCKY THEY DIDN'T CRUMBLE AT ALL. BUT THEY...THEY…HE'S IN A COMA. IN THE HOSPITAL. THEY THINK HE'S PROBABLY GOING TO DIE. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP ON HIM, BUT...EVERY DAY HE STAYS THERE IS MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE. I'M ALREADY WORKING TO TRY AND PAY IT OFF, BUT...I CAN BARELY AFFORD THE MINIMUM PAYMENTS. IT ALL COSTS SO MUCH...I'M SCARED."

Blue held out Edge's soul to him. When Edge took it, Blue rummaged around in his pockets. He finally found what he was looking for. It was a bag full of gold.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE, YOU KNOW. WE'VE BEEN RELYING SO MUCH ON YOUR HOSPITALITY. THE LEAST I CAN DO IS HELP YOU OUT FINANCIALLY. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF G. NOT A WHOLE LOT TO SPEND IT ON. SO, PLEASE, TAKE THIS."

Edge stared at his offering as if it was an alien. Eventually his shock broke. He stuffed his soul back into his rib cage and took the bag. He watched with the fear that Blue would take it back.

Blue didn't. He made sure Edge had stuffed it into his inventory before he held out his hands for Edge to come into. Edge didn't waste a whole lot of time before he fell into the hug. Blue let him sob it out. He was already having to wash the bandanna. Might as well wash the shirt, too.

* * *

Stretch sprinted down the snowy road through Snowdin. All around him, people turned to look at the loud sounds only to be too late to see the orange blur. When he was motivated, Stretch could move fast. Unfortunately, that didn't mean he actually had any clue where he was going.

"blue! blue! blue, where are you?" Stretch called out at the top of his voice, which wasn't very loud.

He'd never been able to yell properly ever since an injury to his neck and jaw when he was younger. The bones of his neck were stripped of their transverse and spinous processes. His jaw had three different bumps where the bone had been broken and then healed back together. All of this happened because of the machine. It was the very first time he'd gotten it "working", if by "working" you mean making weird clicking noises and then exploding. He was lucky he'd only come out of it with as few injuries as he did.

Stretch almost tripped when he came out of the snow of the main road into town and onto the big bridge. He was forced to slow down. This bridge was clearly not as well maintained as the one back home. There were a dozen boards missing or broken on it. That was too many.

Stretch continued shouting and tripping his way through the entire forest. He got funny looks from all the guardsmen, not that he noticed. He was too busy freaking out. He was too busy freaking out to even realise where he was until he ran smack-dab into the door to the Ruins. He stepped back, rubbing his head and seeing stars. He felt the hairline fractures on the surface of his skull and managed to piece together than he had a concussion. Then the dizziness set in and he crumbled to the ground.


	7. Chapter 7 - Go Between

Stretch woke up to a world of grey. He could feel it trickling into his skull through his eye sockets and swirling around inside him. The patterns it made against the black of his mind were mesmerizing. They were also nauseating. He really needed somewhere to throw up.

Stretch blinked his eye lights and sat slowly up. The world was spinning and wobbling way more than it should have been, but he could just make out a snowy path and some trees. Great. He was so far away from a bathroom it burned. He'd have to make do with a hole behind a tree. He crawled a few feet into the forest and found an acceptable place to heave. Then he did so. He didn't remember to bury it after. Rude.

Once that was over with, he crawled back onto the main path. He needed to find Blue. Blue would take care of him. If he could find Blue- oh. He was an idiot. He could just call Blue and ask him to come get him. He just had to…

Stretch propped himself up on the door and fiddled around in his giant cavern of a pocket. Finally he found his clunky old phone. Could he ask Blue for a new one yet? Maybe when they got home. For now, though, he needed to open it up and hold 1. There. It was ringing...and ringing...and ringing.

"BROTHER! WHAT'S WRONG? I'M A BIT TIED DOWN AT THE MOMENT. DID YOU RUN OUT OF PARTS?"

Good old Blue. Always answers his phone within three rings. If there was nothing else constant in the world, it was Blue and his three rings. He kept saying Stretch needed to answer his phone faster. Heh. Like that was ever going to happen.

"nah, bro. i'm super dizzy and way out by the ruins door. d'ya think you can come pick me up?"

Silence beat for a few seconds. Muffled voices sounded from the other side of the phone. Was Blue out training with that fucking murderer again? That asshole had better not hurt his brother.

"I'M SORRY, BROTHER. IT'LL TAKE ME AT LEAST AN HOUR TO GET TO YOU. PROBABLY TWO. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TELEPORT BACK TO THE HOUSE? WE'RE HEADING THERE NOW."

Stretch scowled. Was his brother really too wrapped up in Edge to come get Stretch? They were boyfriends as well as brothers! He should be Blue's first priority. Why was his brother so selfish?

"i think i've got a concussion, bro. don't want to mess up the coordinates and end up halfway through a wall. you know how bad that turns out. we've seen it enough times in undyne's animes, and then there was the time-"

"-I HAD TO CUT YOU OUT OF THE DRYWALL. I REMEMBER. I STILL HAVEN'T MANAGED TO GET THE DUST OUT OF YOUR CLOTHES."

Stretch growled. He hated when Blue interrupted him. "what have i told you about interrupting me! i hate that! i finally get a full sentence lined up to go out my mouth and you interrupt me. now i've got all those words stuck on my tongue with nowhere to go. it feels so fucking weird."

A sigh traveled through the phone connection. Blue sounded so tired. Had that bastard overworked him?

"I'M SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING YOU. IF YOU'LL JUST WAIT THERE THEN I'LL COME AND GET YOU IN AN HOUR OR TWO. CAN YOU PLAY ON YOUR PHONE UNTIL I GET THERE? YOU STILL HAVE BATTERY, RIGHT?"

Stretch scoffed. "you know i've got one of the new ones. they run directly off ambient magical power. they don't _need_ batteries."

"OH," Blue's voice came through almost flat, but Stretch chalked it up to bad cell reception, "THAT'S RIGHT. I FORGOT THE NEW ONES COULD DO THAT. WELL, SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE A BATTERY PROBLEM, YOU CAN PLAY ON YOUR PHONE UNTIL I GET THERE. IF LOOKING AT THE SCREEN HURTS YOU, THEN PLAY ONE OF YOUR AUDIOBOOKS. OKAY?"

Stretch settled into a comfortable position against the door. "i can do that. see you soon, bro. bye."

* * *

Blue shoved open the stuck door of Edge's house. The hinges squeaked. Blue made a mental note to oil them later. Right now he needed to get Edge into a bed and in a healing sleep. He could still remember the spell perfectly, and Edge really needed it.

"COME ON, EDGE. JUST THAT LITTLE BIT FURTHER AND YOU CAN LAY DOWN."

Edge struggled weakly against Blue. "I DON'T NEED TO LAY DOWN. I'M PERFECTLY CAPABLE-"

Blue shook his head. "WE WENT TO TRAINING. YOU HAD A BIG CRY. YOUR SOUL BOND IS DUSTING. ALL OF THESE ARE GOOD REASONS TO TAKE A BREAK. YOU KNOW I'M ABLE TO DEFEND MYSELF. IT WON'T HURT FOR YOU TO REST A BIT."

Edge searched Blue's face for something. Blue knew all he saw was calm and cheer...and maybe a bit of fear that Edge would be angry that Blue had interrupted him. After all, Stretch hated when Blue interrupted him, and Edge was kind of a copy of Stretch. Blue didn't want to lose his new friend over something like that.

"ALRIGHT. I'LL TAKE A NAP."

When Edge said that, Blue felt his mood instantly lift. Edge hadn't said anything about the interruption! And he'd agreed to do what Blue said! That made Blue feel good inside.

"THANK YOU. I MIGHT BE GONE FOR QUITE A BIT. STRETCH SAID HE IS ALL THE WAY OUT BY THE RUINS DOOR. SO I'LL HAVE TO WALK ALL THE WAY THERE AND THEN COME ALL THE WAY BACK WITH A CONCUSSED MONSTER IN TOW. SO I'LL PROBABLY BE AT LEAST AN HOUR AND A HALF, IF NOT TWO HOURS. IS THAT OKAY?"

Edge nodded as Blue lowered him carefully down to the couch. Blue made sure to have his clothes smooth underneath him. Stretch hated having to lay on anything creased.

"THAT IS FINE. I TRUST YOU TO STAY SAFE. AND...THANK YOU."

Blue tilted his head at the laid out monster. Edge looked exhausted, even more so than usual. He looked like he could barely stay awake. Blue started gathering his magic in preparation for the healing spell.

"FOR WHAT, EDGE?"

Edge coughed. The slightest of blushes colored his cheekbones.

"FOR TAKING CARE OF ME, EVEN THOUGH I SHOWED WEAKNESS. FOR LISTENING TO MY STORY, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HARD. AND FOR CARING ABOUT ME...ABOUT MY BROTHER...AND ABOUT EVERYONE IN THIS UNDERGROUND. THAT KIND OF COMPASSION IS RARELY SEEN HERE. SO...THANK YOU."

It was Blue's turn to blush, only his blush was bigger. He was so unused to compliments of that weren't about his skill as a fighter or his skill in bed. It felt...nice.

"I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT ANYWAY. IT'S...IT'S A PART OF MY SOUL. MY DAD IS THE SAME WAY. WE JUST HAVE THIS _NEED_ TO HELP PEOPLE. STRETCH DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE IT, THOUGH. HE'S VERY...SELF-ABSORBED. BUT HE CAN BE NICE! HE CAN BE A HUGE ROMANTIC AT TIMES. HE BRINGS ME FLOWERS ON MY BIRTHDAY. HE'S ALSO GOT A HUGE SENSE OF JUSTICE. IT'S JUST, SOMETIMES, HE MAKES A JUDGEMENT TOO QUICKLY AND GETS HIMSELF IN TROUBLE."

Edge chuckled. "LIKE WITH ME? I CAN HARDLY BLAME HIM. WITH MY LV...WELL. I'M HARDLY A NICE PERSON."

Blue argued hotly, "YOU TOOK US INTO YOUR HOME. YOU WRAPPED MY ARM. YOU'VE FED US. YOU'VE TAKEN THE TIME TO GO SCROUNGE FOR PARTS IN THE DUMP. YOU'VE LET ME TRAIN WITH YOU. YOU'VE TRUSTED ME WITH YOUR BROTHER'S CONDITION. YOU THANKED ME FOR HELPING YOU. YOU ARE NICE."

Edge gave Blue that small smile of someone who didn't believe a word he was saying. Blue sighed. He was way too used to that expression.

Blue said quietly, "I GUESS IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER. EVEN IF YOU ARE A MEAN PERSON, YOU STILL NEED TO REST. CAN YOU REST HERE FOR ME?"

The taller skeleton gave a reluctant nod. "I WILL."

"GOOD. "I'LL BE BACK SHORTLY WITH MY BROTHER." Blue hesitated for just a moment before he added, for the very first time, "STAY SAFE."

"STAY SAFE," Edge said back automatically. Then he blinked at Blue and smiled at him. It was a soft smile, there one instant, gone the next. Blue felt his soul leap with joy. Edge had smiled at him. Edge had smiled at him! Blue hadn't seen Edge smile that big the entire time they had been there. Maybe he could help Edge after all.

Blue spun around and left almost in a skip. Finally, he had hope in the future.

* * *

Blue felt as if the weight of the world was pressing down on him. It wasn't. It was just the weight of Stretch. The concussed monster was just shy of being carried by Blue down the path of grey snow. Blue definitely wasn't happy with that situation (after all, it hurt his injured shoulder badly), but he was willing to put up with it for his brother's sake. There was one other situation he was barely putting up with.

"...and that's when i saw the damned jar of dust. i didn't think it was dust, of course. what kind of a psychopath keeps a jar of dust in their basement? i actually opened the damned thing and got it all over my clothes. so gross."

Blue took advantage of the break to try and correct Stretch's mistaken impression. "ACTUALLY, STRETCH, THAT JAR OF DUST IS-"

Stretch snarled, "i don't really care what fucking excuse you've come up with this time. he's got a damned jar of dust and it sure as hell creeps me out. i don't understand why you keep apologizing for that fucker. "

The older brother pouted. "STRETCH. PLEASE WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE AND TREAT OUR HOST WITH THE RESPECT ANY SENTIENT CREATURE DESERVES."

Stretch sighed dramatically. "sure, bro. let me just fold up my anger and put it on a shelf. oh wait. i can't do that. someone tried to fucking sever my soul and now i can't regulate my emotions at all!"

Blue winced and nodded. He could still remember the day he'd come home early from school and found their babysitter holding a knife that was slicing through his baby brother's soul. He'd done everything he could, back then all the way up to right now, to help his brother survive the consequences of that action. But it irked him just a little that Stretch only brought it up when he felt he was losing an argument.

"anyway," Stretch continued, blind to his brother's feelings yet again, "i haven't finished telling you about my day yet. i had just found out that the jar was full of dust when…"


	8. Chapter 8 - Vignettes

"what do you mean, "we're not going upstairs"?" Stretch nearly shouted Blue out of the house when they finally arrived.

"EXACTLY WHAT I SAID. EDGE HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT LATELY. HE IS IN NEED OF A REAL REST AND GOOD SLEEP. HE NEEDS TO BE ON THE BED FOR NOW," Blue explained slowly, trying to make it easy to understand through the concussion.

Stretch growled. "so fucking rude. kicking us out of bed and forcing us to sleep on the cou-"

Blue interrupted him, "-STRETCH, IT'S HIS HOUSE. IT'S HIS BED. HE HAS MORE RIGHT TO SLEEP THERE THAN WE DO."

Stretch roared at Blue, leaning over the top of him, "don't you fucking dare to interrupt me! you know how I feel about that! ugh, why do you have to be so stupid? you'd think you could remember something as simple as that."

Blue looked guiltily down at the floor. "I'M SORRY, BROTHER."

Stretch frowned. "i don't believe you. someone who was truly sorry would remember not to interrupt me. until you can make a believable apology you don't deserve to sleep on the couch. You can use your emergency blanket and sleep on the floor."

"YES, BROTHER," Blue said quietly.

He pulled a patched woolen blanket out of his inventory and schlepped over to the corner by the vent. He laid out the blanket and wrapped himself up in it, angling his body so that the heat from the vent could still percolate into the rest of the room.

Stretch watched this with the barest hint of a smile on his face. It dropped into a frown every time Blue looked in his direction. Stretch had a lot of practice doing that. Anytime he got stressed or painful, this more vicious side of him came out. Blue was so easy to manipulate that he had no idea what his brother was capable of. But, what with the strange world, dust, and concussion, Stretch was definitely stressed and painful. And, to be honest, he would pull stunts like this even when he wasn't stressed or painful. It was just...fun!

Stretch took the thick, lush blanket off the couch and set himself up to sleep in the superior comfort of the couch. It was actually quite soft. Definitely the better of the two options. Score.

* * *

"no, this isn't the right part," Stretch said with fake exasperation the next day. "you're not listening to me. i said i needed a hot plate, not an aluminum tube. here, i'll even draw it for you so you know what it looks like."

Stretch grabbed a piece of paper and started drawing the hot plate out. It wasn't a very good drawing. He wasn't very good at it, not like Blue was. Stretch really hated how Blue flaunted all of those things Stretch didn't have. He had strength, the ability to clean, the ability to cook, the ability to draw; Stretch was jealous of so many of Blue's qualities. Of course he could manipulate Blue into doing almost anything he wanted but that was irrelevant.

Edge took the drawing with a look of exhaustion. He said, "I'M SORRY. I'LL TRY TO GET THE RIGHT THING THIS TIME."

"see that you do," Stretch said dismissively, turning away from Edge to start fiddling with the machine.

Only when he heard the door to the basement click shut did Stretch turn away from the machine to get to work on his current project. He pulled the half complete drip coffee machine and started installing the aluminum tube that would run next to the hot plate in order to heat up the water to make coffee. Coffee was sacred in Stretch's world, and he had gone too long without it. He absolutely couldn't work on the machine any more until he had coffee in his system. Definitely.

* * *

Blue's greatest weakness wasn't his small size or his broken shoulder. No, his greatest weakness was cleaning. He didn't know what to call it, but whenever he started to clean anything he got stuck in what was almost a trance. Nothing got through; not words, not obstacles, not anything. The trance would last until he ran out of things to clean. Well, that and pain. Pain woke him up very quickly.

Pain was also Stretch's favorite way to get Blue to stop. He basically had license to do anything he wanted to Blue, because Blue never remembered what had been done to him. Stretch had mastered the art of knowing just how much pain it would take. He liked living below it.

Today Stretch was having fun bumping and tripping Blue into every hard surface he could manage. Blue hit the walls, stairs, ground, and table multiple times. He was definitely going to have bruises in the morning. Unfortunately, this was getting to be about the right time for Edge to come home from his early-morning shift. Stretch didn't want that dirty murderer to tattle on him to Blue. That meant it was time to wake Blue up for real.

Stretch arranged himself lazily on the couch and put one foot way out into space. Sure enough, Blue tripped over it and ended up sprawled on the floor. Stretch reached over and grabbed his hand, twisting it around itself until the bones creaked...and then some.

Blue yelped and tried to roll away from Stretch's hold. The taller brother quickly let go and went back to casually lounging on the couch.

"hey, bro. you got into one of your funks again. it would creep anyone out, the way you move. i had to trip you to get you out of it. you're lucky i'm here, otherwise edge would have seen you and gotten totally creeped out."

Blue sat up, holding his good arm close and looking over the hairline fractures that were starting to bleed. Then he smiled weakly at Stretch and said, "THANK YOU."

Stretch chose to say, "now, can you get me a thing of lasagna? i'm starting to feel a bit hungry. "

* * *

The next day Edge was shuffling up the stairs to sleep in his bedroom when Stretch came out of the doorway. Edge wasn't quite sure what happened after that. One minute he was on the stairs climbing towards his room, the next he was teetering precariously over the edge of the railing and about to fall six feet down to the ground below.

He was just about to fall when one small hand tugged him desperately back onto the staircase. He ended up sprawled on his butt. He slid down several steps before the friction was enough to slow him to a stop.

Edge shook his head and tried to calm his soul beat down from the frantic whine it had reached. He looked around and met the eyes of Blue, who was panting and sitting a few steps up the stairs from him. Blue smiled weakly and said, "I'M SORRY FOR THE ROUGH FALL. NORMALLY I'D BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU BETTER, BUT MY LEFT ARM STILL HAS A WAYS TO GO BEFORE IT'S FINISHED HEALING."

Edge squeezed his hand gently. "THERE IS NOTHING FOR YOU TO FEEL SORRY FOR. I WAS ALMOST OVER THE EDGE; EVEN IF YOU HAD TWO GOOD HANDS, I WOULD NOT HAVE MINDED IF YOU GAVE ME A ROUGH LANDING. I COULD HAVE HURT MYSELF BADLY. DON'T FEEL DOWN FOR NOT SAVING ME PERFECTLY."

Blue smiled a little more genuinely at that. "I'LL TRY TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. I'M GLAD YOU'RE OKAY."

Edge smiled back at him. "FOR SAVING ME, LET ME MAKE YOU SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR DINNER. HOW DOES ROAST VENISON SOUND? I HAPPEN TO HAVE SOME THAWING IN THE FRIDGE."

"THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL! I'LL HELP YOU SAUTE SOME MUSHROOMS TO GO WITH THEM," Blue offered.

Edge grinned. "PERFECT."

* * *

"STRETCH, I'M REALLY UPSET WITH YOU AND WE NEED TO TALK!" Blue shouted down the staircase to the basement the next day.

From the bowels of the basement came a grease-stained Stretch. His signature orange hoodie was starting to look like a melting jack-o-lantern. His pants were no better off, and his crocs were squeakier than usual. He looked rough and unimpressed.

"what's got you in a snit this time, blue?" Stretch said, rolling his eyes.

Blue stamped his foot. "IT IS NOT A SNIT! I'M GENUINELY ANGRY WITH YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO EDGE. I SAW YOU BUMP HIM OVER THE RAILING YESTERDAY. YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED HIM! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

Stretch chuckled. "there you go again, blue, making up stories to turn yourself into a hero. edge tripped all on his own. i was nowhere near him."

"YES YOU WERE! YOU BUMPED HIM, AND HE-" Blue was cut off.

"-he's your newest friend, isn't he? another poor monster who you've decided to worship and rescue whenever you can. you always get like this. any time you make a new friend you turn on me. you love him more than me, don't you?" Stretch accused.

Blue stood in shock. What kind of a question was that to ask your boyfriend and brother? Of course Blue loved Stretch...obviously. Why would he be dating him if he didn't?

Apparently Blue's shock lasted too long, because Stretch lost it. He snarled at Blue, shoved him, and threw a succession of punches at Blue's ribcage. Bones creaked, cracked, and broke clean in two. Blue collapsed down on the ground and rolled into a protective ball. Blood stained the fresh snow.

Stretch stopped punching when Blue collapsed on the ground. He stared at his brother, at his fist, then at the blood in the snow. His face twisted into a mask of guilt. Under the guilt was a sick pleasure.

"oh stars, i didn't mean to do that. my soul must have messed up the balance of anger again."

Blue coughed weakly and smiled stiffly up at Stretch. "THAT'S OKAY, I'LL BE FINE. YOU GO BACK TO YOUR MACHINE. I'LL HEAD IN AND DEAL WITH THIS."

Stretch left with only a sidelong glance at Blue. He headed back into the basement and shut the door. Only when Blue had heard the door click did he let himself go. Blue tears trickled down his face and stained the snow yet another color. He was bawling. The only reason he wasn't wracked with sobs was his ribs. His brother had hit him. His brother had hurt him badly. And he hadn't even tried to hide his lack of an apology.

* * *

An hour or so passed. Edge came back from his morning shift to pick Blue up for training. He couldn't find him inside, so he walked around the house to check the basement. What he found was a horror show. Red blood soaked the snow in a large puddle around the curled-up Blue. Edge could hear the crying from here.

He quickly knelt down in the snow, heedless of the blood that was soaking into his pants. He reached out one shaking hand and gently stroked Blue's arm.

"BLUE? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Instantly he regretted the question. Of course Blue wasn't alright. He was crying in a pool of his own blood.

"...I'LL BE OKAY," Blue said quietly. He sounded hoarse, probably from all the crying.

Edge hesitated. He needed to help Blue, but moving him might make any injuries worse. On the other hand it wasn't safe to bandage Blue out here. It was amazing that no one had smelled the blood and come hunting for the free EXP. They needed to get inside where the wards and locks would protect them.

"BLUE, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PICK YOU UP TO TAKE YOU INSIDE. IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO HURT, BUT WE AREN'T SAFE OUT HERE. CAN I DO THAT?"

Blue nodded. "GO AHEAD. I'M GETTING LIGHTHEADED, THOUGH. I MIGHT FAINT."

"UNDERSTOOD," Edge said.

He slowly slipped his arms under Blue to lift him up. Blue grunted, but he managed to stay conscious all the way into the house. Edge set him on the couch and quickly went back to lock and ward the door. Then he ran over and grabbed the medical kit and set to work. He ended up having to cut off Blue's shirt. The sight that met him was horrible. It looked like Blue had gotten caught in a power hammer. There were so many breaks it was going to be impossible to put everything back together naturally.

"BLUE?" Edge asked, scared of what he was going to have to do.

"YES, EDGE?"

Edge breathed in a sigh. "I'M SORRY, BUT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO USE HEALING MAGIC ON THIS. MY HEALING MAGIC...IT HURTS A LOT. I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT IT."

Blue smiled at him. "THAT'S OKAY. IT CAN'T BE ANY WORSE THAN MY ALPHYS'. IT FEELS LIKE AN ELECTRIC SHOCK, AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY. IF YOU NEED TO USE HEALING MAGIC, THEN GO AHEAD. THANK YOU FOR WARNING ME, THOUGH."

Edge flashed a smile. "YOU'RE WELCOME. DO YOU WANT A TOWEL TO BITE DOWN ON? OR A STRESS BALL?"

"I'M GOOD. GO AHEAD AND DO YOUR WORST."

Edge quickly set to work repairing the mess of a ribcage that Blue was left with. After a few seconds, Blue smiled. "I DON'T KNOW WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOUR MAGIC HURTS, BUT THIS FEELS FINE. IF YOU HAVE THE ENERGY WHEN YOU'RE DONE, CAN YOU HEAL MY ARM? I'LL NEED IT TO WARD OFF STRETCH. UM, I MEAN…"

Edge stiffened. "YOUR BROTHER DID THIS TO YOU?"

Blue looked guiltily down. "IT'S MY FAULT. HE ASKED ME IF I LOVED YOU MORE THAN HIM AND I DIDN'T ANSWER FAST ENOUGH."

"THAT'S NO REASON TO HIT YOU, LET ALONE DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. AND THAT'S A VERY UNFAIR QUESTION FOR HIM TO ASK. YOU CAN LOVE MORE THAN ONE PERSON AT A TIME. IT SHOULDN'T BE A CONTEST."

Blue looked up at him, fresh tears rolling down his face. "IT'S HIS SOUL. A LONG TIME AGO OUR BABYSITTER TRIED TO SLICE HIS SOUL IN HALF. HE CAN'T REALLY CONTROL HIS EMOTIONS ANYMORE."

Edge was unimpressed. "BULLSHIT. EVEN IF HE DOES HAVE EMOTIONAL ISSUES, THAT IS STILL NO EXCUSE TO HIT YOU. I'VE GOTTEN ANGRY WITH RED IN THE PAST. FURIOUS, EVEN. I NEVER HIT HIM. HITTING SOMEONE IS A CHOICE. HURTING SOMEONE IS A CHOICE. HE SHOULDN'T BE MAKING THAT CHOICE OVER THIS. YOU NEED TO TELL HIM THAT HURTING YOU IS NOT OKAY."

"I'LL...THINK ABOUT IT, OKAY?" Blue said. His eye sockets blinked a few times. "RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO SLEEP."

Edge nodded. "GO AHEAD AND SLEEP, THEN. I CAN HANDLE THIS BY MYSELF. I'LL WAKE YOU WHEN IT'S TIME TO EAT."

Blue soon drifted off to sleep. Edge sighed out his worry and continued to heal.


	9. Chapter 9 - Prevention is not Cure

Stretch snuck up the basement stairs and out into the grey snow. His mind was already thinking of all the things he could do to Blue when he found him. He'd been working on the machine when a splitting headache had made work impossible. He really needed an outlet, and Blue was his favorite one. Time for a little field trip.

He walked as quietly as he could through the drifts around the house and over to the front door. He tiptoed up the steps...and found the front door completely unable to be opened. The handle wouldn't even turn underneath his hand, no matter how desperately he fiddled with it.

Stretch growled under his breath. Why the hell had someone locked the door? They knew he was out here. He should be able to get back inside whenever he wanted. This was an outrage! He stomped back down into the basement and went back to work on the machine. They'd pay in the morning for locking him out. They would pay.

A few hours later Stretch heard the floorboards above him creak into life above him. He smiled deviously. Someone was up, and that meant it was time for him to enact his plan. He grabbed the device he had built from the counter and carried it up the stairs. He set it up just at the bottom of the staircase, then buried it in fresh snow. Only when it was thoroughly hidden did Stretch retreat back down into the basement to wait.

Minutes passed before Stretch heard the satisfying snap of two metal arms coming crashing together around something breakable. He chuckled quietly to himself, waiting to hear the screams of pain. He waited. And waited. And waited.

Polite knocks sounded on the basement door, breaking his waiting. He reluctantly got up and ambled over to the staircase. He ascended the steps and opened the door.

Edge stood just outside the doorway. He had a blank expression on his face that still managed to be polite. Stretch risked a quick glance and saw the bear trap he had set up outside the front door. It was sitting just behind Edge with a broom still trapped inside its arms.

"I'M SORRY IF I DISTURBED YOUR SLEEP, STRETCH. IT APPEARS ONE OF THE MALCONTENTS IN THIS AREA SET UP A BEAR TRAP AT THE BASE OF MY FRONT STEPS. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU HADN'T BEEN INJURED. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HAD TRIED TO COME INTO THE HOUSE LAST NIGHT?"

Stretch's mind raced for a way to turn this to his advantage. "i did go up to the house last night. they must not have set the trap up yet. if criminals would do something like that, how can i know i'll be safe? i tried to get in the house but the door was locked. it left me extremely vulnerable."

"I CAN IMAGINE," Edge said with an odd sort of sympathy. Stretch caught himself trying to scowl and changed his mask into a worried frown. He did not want the sympathy of a LV laden criminal. "THE DOOR HAS A TENDENCY TO GET STUCK AT THE WORST POSSIBLE MOMENT. PERHAPS IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU REMAINED IN THE BASEMENT DURING NIGHT HOURS. I HAVE AN OLD MATTRESS IN THE SHED THAT I CAN SET UP DOWN THERE FOR YOU. WOULD THAT BE ACCEPTABLE?"

Stretch huffed. Damn it, there was nothing there that he could argue with. "okay," Stretch said dubiously. "i guess that sounds good. i'll need some sheets too!"

Edge calmly said, "I'LL GET YOU SHEETS AND A BLANKET. JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE."

Stretch watch him walk off with the odd feeling that he'd somehow lost. Time to take it out on someone weaker. He went off in search of Blue.

* * *

Edge stood up and dusted off his hands with satisfaction. The bed he'd set up in the basement for Stretch looked more appealing than his own did. The bed clothes were freshly washed and very soft. The corners were neat. The pillow was, in fact, three pillows arranged in a vee. Red always liked his pillows in a vee. It was a hard shape to resist.

With that irresistibly comfortable bed set up Edge felt good enough to head back in the house. After how badly Stretch had injured Blue the day before Edge didn't want him anywhere near Blue when the other was sleeping. This was the only thing Edge could think of to do that.

Edge had just wrapped his hand around the front door's knob when an echoing thud came through the wall next to him. The thud was followed by a muffled thunk as whatever had hit the wall fell to the floor. He didn't even have to think about it. He was already yanking on the door, unlocking it with his magical signature in a way he was more than happy to have spent the money on. The door slammed against the outside wall. He took in the sight before him.

Blue was clutching his left arm with his right hand. He had a rapidly developing bruise on the left side of his head. He'd been backed into a corner, his eyes were closed, and he was whimpering. He was also shaking in waves, head to feet.

Stretch had a sick grin on his face. His body was tensed with excitement and the need to move. He had a long bone attack in his hand and was stalking towards his huddled brother.

In a millionth of a second Edge was standing between Stretch and Blue. His arms were held out in front of him, ready to catch the bone when Stretch swung it. A part of him wanted to bring out his own attacks and teach Stretch a real lesson. He couldn't bring himself to do it, though. He knew Blue wouldn't like it.

Stretch's face twisted into a scowl. He growled, "get out of my way, murderer."

Edge stood firm. "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU HURT HIM. HE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY AND SAFE FROM HARM JUST AS MUCH AS YOU OR I DO. HE'S DONE NOTHING TO HURT YOU. LEAVE HIM BE."

Stretch's face underwent a painful transition. It slipped from anger into disgust, then on into wheedling need. "you're really listening to this, blue? he doesn't care about me or my problems. how can you listen to someone who can't even show that basic courtesy? i'm really disappointed in you. dad would be really disappointed in you."

Edge heard the rustling of Blue's clothes behind him. Then he saw Blue peer out from behind him out of the corner of his eye sockets. The small monster radiated frustration.

"YOU NEVER LISTEN TO PEOPLE, STRETCH. THAT'S NOT AT ALL WHAT HE'S SAYING. ALL HE'S SAYING IS THAT YOU SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL AROUND ME. IS THAT REALLY SO BAD?"

Stretch shook his head, looking hurt. "you know how it is with my soul, bro. i can't help it. and, anyway, i don't have to listen to Edge. he's got LV, bro. that makes him a criminal."

Edge felt the tone around him shift. He wanted to scream at Blue not to get upset over that. He did have LV. It was perfectly reasonable for Stretch not to trust him. He didn't want Blue to get hurt over something like this.

"STRETCH," Blue said quietly, his tone almost dangerously close to tears, "IS THAT WHY YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME? BECAUSE OF MY PAST AS A PROSTITUTE? BECAUSE I BROKE THE RULES?"

Stretch didn't say anything. He only snarled and chopped at Blue with his weapon. Edge blocked the blow almost without thought. It was strong, but not nearly strong enough to beat Edge. But beating Edge didn't seem to be Stretch's goal. He'd abandoned the bone in mid swing. It clattered to the floor as Stretch bolted out the front door.

Silence echoed off the walls of the house. Then Edge sighed and moved over to the couch, sitting down. "I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD HURT YOUR WHILE I WAS SETTING UP HIS BED. I THOUGHT IF I COULD KEEP HIM AWAY FROM YOU WHILE YOU SLEPT THAT YOU'D BE SAFE. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. ABUSERS DON'T CARE WHAT TIME OF DAY IT IS."

When Blue didn't respond, Edge looked over at him. Blue had wrapped his arms around himself and was shivering with his head down. He looked like he might throw up.

"BLUE?"

"YOU MUST HATE ME NOW," Blue said flatly. He sounded so far off and shaken. Edge's hands itched to comfort him.

"WHY WOULD I DO THAT, BLUE?" Edge asked.

Blue flinched from him, backing up further into the corner. "YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID. I'M DIRTY. BROKEN. TAINTED. I'VE GIVEN MYSELF AWAY. I BROKE THE RULES. I'M NOT WORTH SAVING."

Edge blinked at him. Something must be getting lost in translation here. "NONE OF THAT IS A REASON FOR ME TO HATE YOU. PROSTITUTION IS LEGAL HERE. I KNOW SEVERAL PROSTITUTES. THE ONLY TIME IT BECOMES ILLEGAL IS WHEN A CHILD IS INVOLVED OR ONE OR MORE PARTIES DID NOT CONSENT."

Blue scrunched up even further. "I...I WAS A CHILD, EDGE. I HAD TO DO IT. AFTER DAD'S ACCIDENT I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF STRETCH. NO ONE WOULD HIRE ME FOR HONEST WORK, AND I...I WAS ALREADY TAINTED. I NEVER WANTED TO DO IT, BUT I HAD TO."

Edge stepped closer to Blue and squatted down. He reached out one arm and stroked Blue's leg soothingly. "YOU'RE SO BRAVE FOR HAVING SURVIVED THAT, BLUE. I ONLY WISH YOU NEVER HAD TO. I HOPE WHOEVER RAPED YOU IS IN JAIL NOW, OR AT THE VERY LEAST IS IN A MAGIC CUFF."

"THEY'RE NOT," Blue said wretchedly. "THEY DID NOTHING WRONG. THEY DIDN'T BREAK THE RULES. I DID."

"WHAT ARE THESE RULES?" Edge asked indignantly, "WHY WOULD ANYONE MAKE RULES THAT A CHILD IS AT FAULT IN THEIR OWN RAPE? CHILDREN SHOULD BE SACRED; RAPE AND CHILD ABUSE ARE BOTH PART OF THE BIG FOUR. THEY'RE THE WORST CRIMES ANYONE CAN COMMIT."

Blue cleared his throat. "NO PROSTITUTION OR PAST PROSTITUTION FOR ANY REASON. NO GAMBLING OR PAST GAMBLING FOR ANY REASON. NO DRINKING OF ALCOHOL. DO NOT DISOBEY AUTHORITY OF ANY SORT FOR ANY REASON. NO SUPERSTITION. CRIME IS THE FAULT OF THE VICTIM FOR NOT TAKING ADEQUATE PRECAUTIONS. CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED OUTSIDE THE HOME OR SCHOOL EXCEPT BETWEEN 8 TO 9 O'CLOCK AND 16 TO 17 O'CLOCK. NO WHISTLING. NO LITTERING. NO DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR, MUSIC, OR IMAGERY. NO FALLING DOWN."

Edge's jaw fell open. "THAT'S RIDICULOUS. WHO- WHY- HOW?"

"THE QUEEN MADE THE RULES AFTER HER HUSBAND LEFT FOR THE RUINS. THE PUNISHMENT FOR BREAKING THEM IS HUGE. OSTRACIZATION, INCREASED TAXES AND CHARGES FOR EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN, HUGE PAY DECREASES, BANISHMENT FROM CERTAIN JOBS, MOCKERY, NO GUARD PROTECTION...I COULD BE LISTING THESE ALL DAY," Blue said sadly.

Edge frowned. "WELL, THAT'S NOT HOW WE DO THINGS HERE. THE ONLY CRIMES THAT HAVE PERMANENT PUNISHMENTS ARE THE BIG FOUR. I'VE GOT A PAMPHLET IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE. I KNOW A MONSTER WITH LV ISN'T WORTH LISTENING TO ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS."

"THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP ME LISTENING TO YOU," Blue stamped his foot, frustrated. "YOU'RE MY FRIEND...AT LEAST, I CONSIDER YOU TO BE MY FRIEND. ARE WE FRIENDS?"

Edge flinched. He stepped back from Blue as his face shut down. "NO. I HAVE LV. I CAN'T AFFORD FRIENDS. ESPECIALLY NOT WITH SOMEONE WHO WILL EVENTUALLY LEAVE." Edge pulled out a pair of pamphlets and handed them over to Blue. "NEVERTHELESS IT IS MY DUTY TO SEE TO YOUR PERSONAL SAFETY. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THESE AND LOCK THE FRONT DOOR AFTER ME."

Blue watched as Edge spun around and headed for the front door. He felt hollow inside, like someone had drained all the filling out of him. He knew the feeling, but that didn't make it hurt any less. It would go away if he waited long enough. It always did.

Once Edge had left and Blue had locked the door, Blue sat down to read the two pamphlets Edge had given him. The first was a pamphlet explaining domestic abuse. The more of it Blue read, the more uncomfortable he felt. A lot of things were starting to line up, like the physical attacks, lack of apologies, and emotional manipulation. But there was no way Stretch could be abusing him, right? He loved him, he...had he ever even said it? Blue couldn't remember a single time that Stretch had said that, even when he was little.

In a desperate attempt to avoid thinking about the growing fear, pain, and despair in his soul, Blue turned to the next pamphlet. This one seemed to be about some kind of magic cuff. It looked like it locked around the soul and permanently disabled magic. Blue couldn't imagine any reason for something like that to be used until he read the next panel.

"These cuffs, designed by the former Queen of the Underground after the fall of the first human, are used only in the worst kind of cases. They are for instances of abuse, child neglect, rape, and animal cruelty. It is up to the victim if they want to be lenient. If the laws are broken again, the punishment is death. Only two monsters in the history of these cuffs have faced the death penalty. Both happened in the early years of the program."

Blue raised his hand to his mouth, horrified. Those did sound like horrible crimes, but...did Edge really think he would want to do this to his brother? He'd raised Stretch. He loved Stretch. He was sure they could work this out eventually...right?


	10. Chapter 10 - Consequences

Stretch squinted as he carefully rethreaded the last rusty screw. It didn't really want to cooperate, but he'd gotten used to uncooperative metal these past days. This damned concussion made the noise of screaming metal a real pain, but he could put that off until he was done. Finally the last screw was ready. He carried it over to the machine and screwed it in. Then he stepped back and took it all in. The machine was a conglomeration of rust, dents, and stains. It looked like something that should be sent to the dump, not something salvaged from it. But apart from the blemishes that littered its surface, it really looked just like the machine back home. Even thinking about it made Stretch giddy. Home. He could finally go back to the sanity and safety of his own world. All he needed was his brother and he could go.

Stretch walked around the wretched excuse for a decent bed that the murderer had left him and climbed up the stairs. Once outside, he pulled out a round little stone with a hole in it. He held it flat in the palm of his hand and blew on it. A ghostly little fairy light flickered into being above the center of the stone. The light blue ball hovered for a moment, then moved definitively towards one edge of the stone. Stretch started walking in the direction it indicated.

It wasn't long until he bumped into the stony wall of one of the town's few buildings. Stretch stepped back and looked up, circling the structure until he could identify it. It was the forge. It seemed so much bigger up close, and it was filled to the brim with sturdy metal. Stretch scowled. Why had he been forced to work with subpar parts when fresh ones would be so easily available? How much of a skinflint was that dirty murderer? Blue was going to be in so much trouble for letting the criminal convince him not to buy the best parts. Stretch was already plotting what he was going to do when they got home. Maybe a few days locked in the shed? No, more than a few. A week at the least. Maybe two?

"...AND YOU'RE SURE THAT'S THE BEST PRICE YOU CAN DO? 5G FOR EVERY SCREW SEEMS...REALLY HIGH."

Stretch's eye lights focused on the two figures standing by the forge itself. One was a fire elemental, tall and wiry. His flames were purple, and he was dressed like the richest blacksmith in the worlds. His tunic had a hood with a fur lining. His pants were form-fitting black leather shined up to a mirror hue. The apron he wore had golden fastenings and was pressed with a very intricate geometric design. His boots were painted leather tooled into a wonderful frieze.

The other figure had Stretch scowling. It was his brother, and he looked dirt poor compared to the opulent elemental. His clothes were threadbare and worn through in patches. The front of his sweater, once a simple grey, was now darkened by a brown stain that Stretch couldn't quite place. His pants had several holes and cuts in them. His boots were splattered with grey mud. His bandanna...his bandanna wasn't there. Where had it gone? Stretch had given it to him, stars damn it. It should be one of his most prized possessions.

"...If you think my prices are high…..you should see what they charge in the Capitol. I am…..truly losing money on every purchase. You wouldn't want...to drive an old elemental into the ground…..would you?"

"NO, I WOULDN'T, BUT-" Blue began.

"oh, for stars sake, blue," Stretch said, storming in. "you're a horrible negotiator. let someone actually competent take over the task."

Blue flinched but didn't protest when Stretch gripped his newly-healed shoulder tight. The bones ground against each other, but the sound was swallowed up by the ambient snap and crackle of the big fire.

"...Oh really? I'd love to hear…..what you consider to be good negotiations. How about you start…..by naming your price for a screw?"

Stretch grinned. This was going to be fun. "how about 1g per 10 screws?" That would be about half of what he'd pay back home. It was always good to start on the low end. That way the trader knew you meant business.

The elemental scoffed. "Hmph. Don't insult me…..with something so crude. I would only accept a minimum…..of 50G per screw."

Stretch's eyes bulged out. "50g a screw? that's ridiculous. that's even more than you were going to charge blue! i heard you offering him 5g a screw. what gives?"

The blacksmith eyed him coldly. "...your brother has been here for hours…..to negotiate it down to that price. He has complimented me…..told me why he needs them…..told me of you and your…..attitude…..," Stretch clenched his fist. He felt bone crack underneath his hand, but still Blue did not react and the fire covered up the noises. "and he has earned my respect. You came in here…..and immediately insulted him…..then proceeded to insult me. Charging you ten times as much as him…..is my right as a free trader. Maybe in a year…..I will have forgiven you."

Stretch squeezed even harder, feeling bones shift. "well, i guess it's too bad then that i've finished the machine and we're leaving. no sales for you today. what a shame. now, come, blue. i'm really hankering for one of Muffet's honey peach hard teas."

Stretch went to storm out of the forge, but he found himself encountering unexpected resistance. Blue was trying to squirm out of his hold.

"STRETCH, WE CAN'T LEAVE JUST YET. WE HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO EDGE, AND REPAY HIM FOR ALL THE FOOD AND SUPPLIES HE BOUGHT US, AND I NEED TO TALK TO FELLDYNE ABOUT SOMETHING, AND-"

Stretch felt an unforgiving leather glove lightly grip his shoulder. He spun to face Edge, glowering and looming in his dust-spattered boots. The armoured skeleton looked royally pissed off.

"LET GO OF HIM AND COME QUIETLY OR I'LL-"

Stretch felt cornered. With Edge looming over the top of him and the fiery gaze of the flame elemental behind him he had nowhere to go. There were racks of weapons on his right side and a table full of metalwork on his right. So maybe it wasn't the smartest decision to grab a mace and swing it at Edge. He'd had a long day working on that stupid machine. It could be excused ...right?

The swing didn't connect, of course. Edge, the cheating bastard, stepped back to avoid it. His face had hardened. That only made Stretch madder, so he swung the mace again. And again. And again. None of the swings connected.

They moved the fight slowly out of the forge and into the open. Stretch varied up his swipes, but nothing he did seemed to come close to Edge. He hadn't even lost a single HP, and Stretch was pissed. So he did the next logical thing. He started throwing in magic attacks as well. The bone patterns were not his best. Maybe that was why Edge was still able to dodge them. Stretch upped the intensity of his attacks. One finally got through. It was so, so satisfying to see the Karmic Retribution continue to knock off Edge's HP. It did so in chunks of 20HP, since that was Stretch's attack strength.

Edge narrowed his eyes. "YOU ARE THE JUDGE. YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO ATTACK A MEMBER OF THE GUARD."

"don't care," Stretch snarled back, "you're a fucking murderer and a criminal. you deserve any pain i give you."

"LANGUAGE, STRE-" Blue said from behind him.

Stretch spun around and hurled the mace towards his older brother. A wall of bones shot up between the two of them. He spun back around. Edge looked outright furious.

"IF YOU TRY TO HURT HIM ONE MORE TIME, I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ARREST YOU FOR DOMESTIC ABUSE AND ASSAULT ON AN INNOCENT. THE PUNISHMENT IS-"

"what is it about 'i don't care' that you seem to have such a problem with? he's a criminal, too. i should have put him in his place a long time ago."

Stretch doubled down on his efforts to hurt Edge. He was looking for chinks in his armour, literally and figuratively. Finally he spotted one. Edge didn't seem to be as quick to respond on his right side as fast as he was on his left. Stretch grinned. He could use that. He quietly began summoning a blaster to Edge's left rear. It was massive, the size of a small car. It was also very spiky. They were all sharp, even the ones that ended in a wicked barb or hook.

Just as the baster was about to go off, Stretch made his signature move. He took two bones and hurled them up out of the ground so they hit Edge's leg. It worked kind of like a bear trap, capturing its victim and holding them in place. Edge was trapped. Stretch aimed the blaster directly at his soul and fired it.

A wall of blue-tinted bones blocked the blast. Stretch snarled and turned on Blue. He swiped the bone wall away. It took off less than a quarter of his max hp. Then he swung the mace again. It connected with a blaster skull. The skull was moving backwards, and before he could even think of trying to run away Stretch had been engulfed inside the hollow cavity of the giant skull. He snarled and tried attacking it from the inside, but the bone was too thick. All he managed to do was bruise his fingers. He tried to teleport, but he didn't have the magic to pull it off. Damn.

Stretch snarled. "what the hell, blue? you're really going to side with that crazy murderer over me? I'm your brother. I'm your boyfriend. You should listen to me and do what I say! It's a damn good thing we're heading back to Underswap, because this place is ruining you! Now, let me the fuck out so I can deal with this murderer and we can go home!"

"LANGUAGE!" Blue chastised him. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU OUT UNTIL YOU PROMISE TO NOT TO ATTACK US."

"like hell i'm going to promise that. i'm the judge. i need to be able to dispense justice as i see fit! i know your just a simple-minded rulebreaker, but even that should be obvious to you."

Outside the skull, Stretch could just make out a whispered conversation.

"EDGE, I...I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO BACK WITH HIM. HE HURT ME AGAIN, AND...WHEN I READ THOSE PAMPHLETS, I REALISED HE...HE ABUSES ME. I DON'T THINK HE'S GOING TO STOP. PLEASE, CAN I- CAN I STAY HERE?"

What the fuck? Blue wanted to leave him? But they were boyfriends! And brothers! Why was Blue being so stupid? He really wanted to stay with a fucking murderer over the monster he most loved? That was fucked up.

The next voice was Edge's. It sounded so soft and affectionate it made Stretch want to hurl.

"YOU CAN STAY WITH ME AS LONG AS YOU LIKE, BLUE. I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU FOR HAVING THE STRENGTH TO STAND UP TO HIM AND LEAVE. I KNOW IT MUST BE HARD ON YOU, BUT I AGREE. I DON'T THINK HE'S EVER GOING TO STOP, AND I...I'M WORRIED THAT HE MIGHT KILL YOU ONE DAY. I DON'T...EVEN IF WE'RE NOT FRIENDS, I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU DIE."

Blue sniffled. "THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, EDGE."

"NOW, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH HIM? HE'S DANGEROUS, AND YOU READ THOSE PAMPHLETS. WITH FELLBY AS A WITNESS I HAVE TO CHARGE HIM WITH ABUSE. DO YOU WANT TO BE THERE WHEN HE DIES?"

Excuse me? Die? How typical of a murderer to think that was the only solution to a problem.

"NO!" Blue practically screamed. "I DON'T WANT HIM TO DIE. I...CAN'T WE JUST SEND HIM BACK TO UNDERSWAP ALONE? WON'T THAT BE PUNISHMENT ENOUGH?"

A long pause followed that. Was it getting hot in here or was that just him?

Edge sighed. "OKAY, BLUE. WE CAN DO THAT. BUT I INSIST THAT WE PUT THE MAGIC CUFF ON HIM. IF HE'S VIOLENT ENOUGH TO ATTACK ME, THEN HE'S A DANGER TO MORE THAN JUST YOU. HE NEEDS TO BE MADE SAFER."

Magic cuff? What the hell was that?

"OKAY. UM...HOW DO WE DO THAT? HE'S NOT GOING TO WILLINGLY GIVE US HIS SOUL. DO WE SEDATE HIM OR...?"

Oh hell no.

"WE'D HAVE TO GET DR. ALPHYS TO DO THE SEDATION, AND THAT IS TOO EXPENSIVE. USUALLY WE JUST GET AS MANY GUARDSMEN AS WE CAN AND HOLD THEM DOWN. I'LL ALL UP A SQUAD-"

"NO! I CAN DO THE SEDATIVE MAGIC. I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT," Blue offered quickly.

"YOU CAN DO SEDATIVE MAGIC?" Edge asked incredulously.

"YES, I CAN. MY ALPHYS, WE CALL HER BATTERY, REALLY...SHE DOESN'T THINK I'M GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE GUARD. SO SHE TRIED TO CONVINCE ME TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. FIRST SHE TRIED COOKING, BUT I KEPT...WHEN I WAS INJURED, I'D GET BLOOD IN THE FOOD. SO SHE TRIED TO CONVINCE ME TO GO THROUGH HEALER'S TRAINING. I DID, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE DOCTORATE LEVEL. MY SPECIALTY IS SOUL SURGERY. BUT THE QUEEN REFUSED TO SIGN MY LICENSE BECAUSE I'M A RULE-BREAKER. SO I CAN'T ACTUALLY PRACTICE."

Inside the skull, Stretch grinned. That had been a good day. The Queen had been just as disgusted as he was when she learned what Blue used to do. Convincing her not to sign the paperwork was child's play.

"WE CAN GET YOU A LICENSE HERE. WE ARE DESPERATELY SHORT OF TRAINED HEALERS," Edge sounded pleased, "IN THE MEANTIME, I CAN SUPERVISE YOU WHILE YOU PUT HIM UNDER LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO INSTALL THE CUFF."

"THANK YOU," Blue was radiating a revoltingly surprised pride. It made Stretch sick. "I'LL START PUTTING HIM UNDER RIGHT AWAY. IT SHOULDN'T TAKE LONG."

Stretch felt the magic hit him almost immediately. He fought it as hard as he could, but it wasn't long until blackness overcame him.

Edge carefully placed the limp body of Stretch, complete with magic cuff, into the chamber of their machine. He closed the door afterwards. Then he went back to stand next to Blue, the remote that would start the device already in his hands.

"ARE YOU READY?" Edge asked quietly.

Blue nodded shakily. He made a little motion with his hands. "THERE. I'VE STOPPED FEEDING HIM THE SEDATIVE MAGIC. HE SHOULD WAKE UP IN ABOUT AN HOUR."

"GOOD," Edge said solemnly.

He pressed the button. For several seconds nothing happened. Then slowly, reaching out in glitched tendrils, an inky blackness engulfed the room. Edge and Blue found themselves rooted to the spot. The black overtook them. Inside of it was grey. It slowly became darker, until nothing remained but the hope that this would end well.


	11. Chapter 11 - Reawakening

Two eye sockets scrunched up in pain. It was a throbbing, pounding pain, the kind that was almost impossible to ignore. It started in the area just behind Stretch's left eye but soon spread all over his skull and neck. He groaned and pressed the butt of his palms on his sockets. The cold bone felt wonderful.

The trill of a bluebird startled him out of the almost-coma he had slipped into. Stretch opened his eyes and saw the bird perched on his knees. It sang a sweet song, but something about that just made him mad. He shot a bone attack out to kill it. The bird moved enough that it missed its target, but not enough to avoid the bone entirely. It hit the bird's wing with a wonderful snapping sound. The bird screeched and tried to fly off. The broken wing refused to cooperate. Stretch grinned. This was almost better than killing it.

Images passed in front of his eyes like a movie. He saw grey snow, a wooden door, a bed that barely earned the title, and a mace. The memories came flooding back along with the memories. His face twisted into a snarl. Blue. Fucking, fucking Blue. He was going to pay.

Stretch got shakily to his feet and looked around. He was deep in the Snowdin forest. There was maybe a foot of snow on the ground, which was blessedly white. The trees looked healthy and undamaged. Too bad they were so thick he couldn't see his way to town or the main road. Stretch sighed and just started walking. Eventually he'd run into the wall of the cavern, or the cliff surrounding the Ruins, or the path, or the town. He could find his way home from there.

It took about two dozen steps for Stretch to remember that he could teleport. He concentrated like he always did, focused on the place he wanted to go to, and stepped forward. When he opened his eyes he was not met by the sight he wanted to see. He was still deep in the woods. Stretch tried again, this time with a bit more magic behind the act. He was still in the woods. He tried again and again and again, and every time had the same results. He was starting to get confused when he remembered Blue and Edge talking about some kind of magic cuff. He growled. Did they seriously put something on him that took away his magic? That was illegal! Then again, they were criminals. This sort of behaviour was right up their alley.

Stretch sighed and set out walking again. It took him a long time, but eventually he found himself staring at a familiar sentry station. He decided to take a breather (he was panting like mad), so he sat down on the stool and pulled a bottle of honey out of his secret stash. He took a big swig and nearly spat it out. The honey was disgustingly sweet, no spice at all. He was used to his chilli pepper infused condiment. Had Blue swapped out his stache as some sort of joke? That was just wrong. He'd certainly pay for messing up Stretch's favorite-

"heck, isn't this a surprise," A languid voice drawled. Stretch looked up and saw himself. Maybe this other him's clothes were less grease stained, and his shorts looked to be khaki rather than corduroy, but otherwise he looked identical. Stretch gulped. Guess he wasn't home after all.

Stretch's hand went to the back of his skull and rubbed it sheepishly. Act innocuous. Be an idiot. That was the best way to gain someone's trust.

"heh, yeah. must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. it's not like i was working with the best materials. I'll just...uh...leave?"

The other him laughed. "is this your first time visiting another au? every time someone shows up the machine goes back to being a pile of junk. spikes has a couple ideas why, but for now we'll just have to set you up in the guest room. taz won't mind having someone to feed up, heh. we can get you some new clothes, too. come on, i'll show you the house."

Stretch stood up and ambled over to the other him. He needed this guy's help to get Blue back, so it was time to angle for sympathy.

"heh, i sure appreciate that. this isn't exactly my first time. me and my brother ended up in this really dark world. dust everywhere. i fixed the machine but wasn't able to bring him with me. do you think you could help me get him back? he's really fragile and refuses to fight. i'm worried something will happen to him before i get there."

The other him gasped. "darn. there are some really dangerous worlds out there. i don't know which one he's in, but we can get to work right away. i'll help you as much as i can, but my job might get in the way, um...what's your name again?"

"stretch," he supplied easily, "my name is stretch."

"nice to meet you, stretch. my name's honey. welcome to underswap!" Honey said cheerfully.

Stretch put on his best smile. This wasn't Underswap. This was just a means to an end. "thanks! i sure am looking forward to working with you. let's just hope the machine doesn't take too long to fix."

* * *

Grey. That was the first thought that trickled into Blue's head. Grey was...not what he had been expecting. Had he been expecting something? Blue's brain felt fuzzy and full of cotton wool. Or maybe steel wool. Wait. This feeling was familiar. Why, though?

Blue pushed himself upright and looked around. The scenery was familiar. Dead trees, grey snow, and a beaten-up sentry station greeted his eyes. The memories came flooding back, and Blue found himself shaking. How had he ended up out here? The last thing he remembered was putting Stretch in the machine and starting it. That was in the lab, right? But he wasn't in the lab right now. This was Edge's sentry station, but there was no Edge sitting there...unless he was on the ground behind it.

Blue shoved himself to his feet and scurried over to the stand. He looked behind it and found nothing. No Edge, no Stretch, only the medical kit and emergency blanket. The only other thing he saw was a set of fresh footsteps leading away from the station. They had the familiar sole pattern of Edge's boots. Judging by the amount of snow on top of them Edge had just left. But that couldn't be right, could it? Edge had been with him in the basement. Had he arrived here before him? Or was this the past, like in Battery's science fiction movies?

Blue followed the footsteps with an ever-growing sense of dread. They were so far apart that Edge had to have been running, but why? Then he noticed the other footprints. On the sides of the path, just inside the treeline, were a positive stampede of footprints. Blue sped up his pace. The only people who would hide their footsteps in such high numbers were up to no good.

His hunch was correct. Blue turned a corner and found himself facing a battlefield. There had to be at least 30 monsters fighting. Blue recognized a few of them. The Dog Squad was in there, fighting a bunch of rabbit monsters. Edge was in the thick of it, throwing bones left and right, shouting orders and rallying the outnumbered monsters of the guard into a formation less likely to get them all killed. But there was one monster there that Blue couldn't recognize. They were a skeleton monster, shorter than Edge, and wearing grungy had sharp teeth, one of which was gold. And they were standing back to back with Edge in a way that made Blue's soul lurch. That had to be Red. What had that machine done?


	12. Chapter 12 - Differences

Stretch sat back on the couch and groaned. His head still hurt something awful, and he was not happy about it. He and Honey had been working on the machine, everything was fine and dandy, when a particularly bad throb of his head made him groan. Honey had jumped on it. He'd asked if anything hurt after his ordeal. Stretch, acting like the idiot he was pretending to be, answered truthfully. He'd told Honey about the concussion. The other had insisted he go upstairs to rest and eat something.

He hadn't even been allowed to make his own food. Honey had texted his brother and asked him to fix up something for their guest. Stretch could hear the noises coming from the kitchen. He still hadn't seen his other host, but that was about to change.

The sudden silence should have warned Stretch that the other Underswap Sans, Berry, was about to appear, but nothing could have prepared him for the shock of his appearance. Berry was over 2 feet taller than Blue. His bones were bigger and thicker, with a few badly healed breaks as the only marks marring them. At least, they were the only visible marks. Berry was wearing a pair of grey shorts underneath a huge blue t-shirt. The top part of some shoulder padding was strapped over his shirt. The padding had stars painted on the cauldrons. His arms were bare except for his wrists which, as well as his hands, were covered with a pair of short blue gloves. His boots were the same shade as the gloves, a dark blue that matched his bandana. His shirt matched the color of his eye lights which were lit up bright with stars, something Stretch hadn't seen from Blue in years.

The thought of those eye lights only served to make Stretch mad. They hadn't even been for him. They'd lit up when Alphys complimented his special attack. That was the last time Stretch had intentionally let Blue go to a training session with enough magic and physical stamina to actually practice. Blue should only be that happy around him. Nevermind that he just never seemed to be happy like that anymore. It was the principle of the thing.

Rather than let his anger out in anything resembling a healthy way Stretch saved it all up to be used against Blue the next time he saw him. He forced himself to put on a bumbling smile and brighten his eye lights. If he wanted anything resembling something decent to drink then he'd have to play his part perfectly.

"hey there, bud. you must be berry, am i right?" Stretch said as he staggered his way to his feet.

Berry smiled at him. "OH, YES! I AM. AND YOU MUST BE STRETCH! THESE MUST BE FOR YOU. PLEASE ENJOY!"

Stretch stared at the plate Berry proffered at him. It was covered in badly burnt sparkly tacos. Now, what would a stupid, gullible idiot like he was pretending to be say? Something nice, definitely, but he would know that those were inedible. He let the nervous sweat drop down his skull and gulped. "um...yeah! boy, those sure look good. i can't wait to try them!"

Berry's eyes narrowed, studying him closely. Stretch kept up the image of someone trying to lie who had no skill at it whatsoever. Good. He'd pegged that right as a test. Now all he had to do was hope that Berry was kind enough to spare him from eating them.

When Berry's face cleared and he pulled a second, edible plate of tacos from behind his back Stretch didn't bother to hide the relief. Stupid Stretch wouldn't. "THAT'S SWEET OF YOU TO LIE FOR ME, BUT I'M NOT _THAT_ BAD A COOK. HERE, EAT SOMETHING EDIBLE. I'VE BEEN USING THESE TO TEST PEOPLE FOR 20 YEARS."

That did make Stretch pause. He wasn't supposed to just admit that, and… "20 years? you've had a kitchen to store those in for 20 years?"

Berry tilted his head. "YES? THIS WAS MY FATHER'S HOUSE BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT FROM HIM. HE'S MOVED BACK INTO THE CAPITOL NOW TO GIVE HONEY AND I SOME PRIVACY."

Stretch was really shocked now and he couldn't hide it. All thoughts of spicy honey water vanished before it. "you lived with your dad? really?"

Now Berry looked worried. "AND YOU DIDN'T? WHO RAISED YOU, YOUR BROTHER?"

"yes, he did?" Stretch was genuinely confused. "we grew up hopping from house to apartment to condo in the Capitol. We slept on the street sometimes, too. our dad is in no position to take care of anybody. he's, uh… how do i say this? he can't remember anything after his 18th birthday for more than 10 minutes. there was an accident at the labs when i was 5 or 6. total amnesiac."

Berry set the dummy plate on the table and came over to the couch. He sat down and motioned for Stretch to join him with his empty hand. "PLEASE, SIT. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DREADFUL WAY TO GROW UP. WHY DIDN'T THE QUEEN DO SOMETHING FOR THE CHILDREN OF HER ROYAL SCIENTIST?"

How could this be called the same thing as his universe? "um, sorry? our dad never made it that far, and the queen sure as h...eck wouldn't do anything for a rulebreaker like blue. he-"

Berry's mouth dropped open. "YOU MEAN SHE STILL CARES ABOUT THOSE OLD RULES? OUR QUEEN ABOLISHED THEM AFTER MY… INCIDENT. I WAS HURT BADLY AS A VERY SMALL CHILD AND I HAD TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL FOR WEEKS. THAT MEANT I HAD TO BREAK THE CURFEW FOR CHILDREN OR ELSE I WOULD DIE. SHE HEARD ABOUT IT. NEXT THING WE KNOW SHE'D PAYED THE HOSPITAL BILL AND ANNOUNCED TO THE UNDERGROUND THAT THOSE RULES NO LONGER APPLIED. SHE ALSO FIRED THE FORMER ROYAL SCIENTIST FOR WHAT HE HAD DONE. THEN SHE APPOINTED DAD IN HIS PLACE."

Stretch gaped at him. "you mean the first time you got raped? blue did, too. my brother. but that didn't change anything. tori didn't care. any crime is the fault of the victim for not taking adequate precautions."

Berry looked like he might throw up at any moment. "I'VE ONLY EVER BEEN RAPED ONCE, AND I WASN'T QUITE YET 6. THERE'S NO WAY I COULD HAVE STOPPED IT. I SCREAMED, I BIT, I THREW MAGIC ATTACKS. NOTHING WORKED. DO YOU SERIOUSLY EXPECT A 6 YEAR OLD TO BE ABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST A FULL GROWN ADULT?"

Stretch almost let his anger get the better of him. Of course he didn't, but if the 6 year old had been following the rules and their parents had any ability to judge character at all then they shouldn't be in a position where they had to fight back against the grown adult. But if he said that he was pretty sure he'd give the whole game away. So he ran with the angry expression on his face and said, as if he was insulted, "of course i don't, but those are the rules. i'm the judge, i have to know them back to front. it's not my fault that they're in place."

Berry sighed. "I KNOW. I'M SORRY. BOTH FOR INSULTING YOU AND FOR YOUR WORLD. IT MUST TRULY BE A HORRIBLE PLACE. HOW ARE RULEBREAKERS TREATED?"

Stretch hummed. "well, they don't get paid as much, i know that. most of the stores raise their prices for a rulebreaker. most places won't rent to them, so they all live crammed together in ghettos. there's a lot of jobs they just can't do. some people won't serve them, like doctors and-"

"DOCTORS WON'T SERVE THEM? BUT WHAT IF THEY'RE HURT?" Berry demanded with his eyes bulging out.

Stretch shrugged. "i don't know. it's never come up for me before. blue always handles it when he gets sick. maybe there's other rulebreakers like blue who tried to become doctors? but without a license even getting care from them would be illegal."

Berry shivered. "THEN WE'D BETTER GET THAT MACHINE UP AND RUNNING SO YOU CAN BRING HIM TO SAFETY BEFORE HE'S TOO BADLY HURT. I'D SAY YOU CAN BRING HIM HERE, BUT WE HAVE SO FEW DOCTORS. MAYBE WE SHOULD SEND YOU ON TO THE TALE BROTHERS. THEY'RE ON THE SURFACE, AND THEY'VE GOT PLENTY OF DOCTORS. THEY EVEN OFFERED TO SEND US SOME OF THEIR OWN, BUT WE FELT IT WOULDN'T BE RIGHT TO ASK THEM TO LEAVE THE SURFACE AFTER WAITING SO LONG. WE'RE TWO SOULS AWAY FROM BREAKING THE BARRIER."

It was Stretch's turn to have his eye lights bulge. "you're that close to the surface? the queen won't even tell me how many souls we have, and i'm her judge. she says that, if i knew, i'd be too sad to do my job. it's ridiculous."

"IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN GET YOU TO HELP CONSOLE YOU TO YOUR LOSS?"

Stretch sat up straight. He had given up on getting his spicy honey water, but now… "i could definitely go for something to drink. you probably don't have my favorite, but really any honey water will be good."

Berry frowned at him and shook his head, clearly disappointed in him. "NOTHING WITH THAT MUCH SUGAR. IT WILL RUIN YOUR APPETITE FOR GOOD, HEALTHY FOOD, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO GET OVER YOUR CONCUSSION. NOW, EAT YOUR TACOS AND I'LL GET THE GUEST ROOM SET UP FOR YOU TO SLEEP IN."

Stretch watched him go with genuine shock. That move always worked on Blue. Why didn't it work on Berry?

* * *

Blue stared down at the battlefield with horror. There were so many injuries on both sides, and fresh dust floated in the air. The healer in him was screaming at him to stop this. But how could he? He was a horrible fighter and so extremely fragile it was ridiculous. He would be dust before Edge even noticed he was there.

It was a blow to the head of one of the bunnies by Greater Dog that inspired Blue. The blow didn't kill the bunny, but it did knock them out. Blue could do that. He had a deep well of magic and the training to sedate any monster he needed to. His teachers had even said he had excellent control. The only tricky part would be avoiding knocking Red, Edge, and the Canine Unit out. Maybe he should just aim to keep Red and Edge awake. The dogs probably wouldn't mind a little nap, and they could be so… enthusiastic. He didn't want anyone to die or be hurt because of him.

Blue quickly closed his eyes. He reached out with his magic, seeing everyone on the battlefield as little balls of color. Edge was a deep burgundy, and that ball Blue carefully shielded. The dogs were a mix of yellows and oranges, and those he left alone. The bunnies were shades of blue. Finally Blue isolated the ball that must be Red. It was a bright, light red, the color of one of those red wagons children liked. He shielded that ball as well. Then he set up the sedative spell in his magic. It looked to him like a dry watercolor drawing of some Valerian. Then he sent out the spell to every ball within reach. His shields, which looked like greenhouses, deflected the spell. One by one here saw every ball of magic on the battlefield drop flat, the way he always saw an unconscious monster.

He opened his eyes when he felt the prick of something sharp at his throat. Red was standing in front of him, scowling, with a sharpened bone held to point at Blue's neck. The differences between them couldn't be more obvious. Red towered over Blue's fragile 3'3" self. He guessed Red might be 4'6"-5'0". His bones were thick, not just with scars but with the solid, healthy growth that Blue had never had. His teeth were sharp but clean, and he had black and red bone paint around his eye sockets. His jacket looked so warm with its fleece lining and leather exterior. Blue shivered in his simple, thin clothes.

Red growled at him, drawing Blue out of his curiosity. Here looked deeply suspicious and not at all happy to see Blue. "who the hell are you, and what the fuck did you do to those monsters?"


	13. Chapter 13 - Girlfriends and Boyfriends

Stretch lounged on the couch in Berry and Honey's house. He was staring at the ceiling in an absentminded way. It was disconcerting. The ceiling looked _exactly_ like the one back home in his world, his Underswap. Every little crack and crevice was the same, all the way down to the weird, oblong stain in the northwest corner by the door. Stretch wondered what had caused it in this universe. Back home it had happened when he'd scared Blue in the middle of preparing dinner one day. Blue had jumped, and the queso he'd been holding splattered on the ceiling. Blue had somehow managed to clean up most of it, but the stain had remained.

A familiar cough had Stretch redirecting his stare from the ceiling to the monster beside him. Berry even sounded different than Blue did. His voice was smoother and slightly lower in pitch. It was infuriating. They were supposed to be the same person! Why were they so different?

Berry seemed to be feeling a mix of excitement, curiosity, reluctance, and regret. Stretch locked onto these last two as emotions he could potentially exploit. He still hadn't gotten any honey out of Berry, and it was driving him crazy. Nothing seemed to work against him! Not charm, not patheticness, not wheedling, nothing! He was almost to the point where he would try the harsher methods he used when Blue was being more… stubborn. Almost.

Berry cleared his throat again and said sheepishly, "I AM SORRY TO DISTURB YOU, STRETCH, BUT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW THAT I AM HEADING OUT FOR THE NIGHT. I'LL BE BACK TO COOK FOR YOU TOMORROW AFTER WORK, SO PLEASE HELP YOURSELF TO ANYTHING IN THE FRIDGE. I'VE LEFT A CASSEROLE FOR YOU TO SNACK ON, AND OF COURSE HONEY WILL BE AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU GET ANYTHING ELSE YOU MIGHT WANT. I WILL BE TAKING THE KEY TO THE HONEY CABINET, THOUGH. FORGIVE ME IF I DO NOT TRUST YOU TO HANDLE IT ON YOUR OWN."

Stretch pouted. Damn. Why was Berry leaving him? And overnight, at that? He was an invalid, damn it, he needed to be coddled. And he thought he detected the beginnings of affection from Berry; that special kind of affection that meant sex might happen. He was really looking forward to it.

"where are you going? i'm still not feeling well. what if i need you?" Stretch almost whined.

Berry didn't seem amused. "YOU'LL BE FINE, STRETCH. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET SO MUCH WORSE IN A DAY THAT YOU'D DESPERATELY NEED ME, AND I NEED A BREAK. MY DATEMATES AND I ARE GOING OUT FOR THE EVENING. I'M GOING TO STAY OVER AT THEIR PLACE FOR THE NIGHT AND-"

"you have datemates? really?" Stretch couldn't hide the incredulous tone in his voice. Yeah, he thought Berry was cute (and frustrating), but no one else should! Why would Honey allow... "datemates as in multiple?"

Berry nodded. "I HAVE TWO DATEMATES. WE'VE A TUPLE OR A TRIAD FOR A WHILE. THEIR NAMES ARE DR. UNDYNE AND ALPHYS, BUT EVERYONE CALLS THEM TNT AND SPIKE."

Stretch froze. Berry… was dating his Alphys and Undyne? They weren't even together yet in his world! They wouldn't be together until Chara came out on their next Pacifist run. Which should be just about…

Stretch checked the date on his phone and froze. No. There was no fucking way. It had been at least the 19th of June! How could it already be the 3rd of August? Yeah, he'd been in that grey world for a while, but his phone was supposed to be linked into the CORE of his world. It ran two different alert apps that he had designed himself. One counted down from the last RESET. The other kept track of how long it was until Chara would come.

Stretch stared at the little alert in the corner of his phone. It didn't have a timer on it, so he had no idea how long it had been there. It said, in bright red letters, "CHARA HAS ARRIVED."

"fuck," Stretch said quietly, but not quietly enough.

Berry picked up on it and glared at him. "LANGUAGE! WE DO NOT SWEAR IN THIS HOUSEHOLD! NOW, APOLOGIZE!"

Sheepishly, Stretch said, "um… sorry. i just realized that there's a big problem with my world. i need to, um, go chat with honey about something. you have a… good… time… with your girlfriends."

Stretch had to force that last sentence through his mouth. Most of him was freaking out about Chara, but the bits that weren't were all jealous. He thought that Berry was interested in him, and now he finds out about some other monsters creeping on his territory? Not cool. Definitely not cool. He knew what he wanted to do next, and that was punish this TNT and Spike for daring to date Berry. But that could wait until after he was done with his panic attack about Chara. Besides, that would be so much more fun if he could plan it ahead of time!

"THANK YOU!" Berry said, breaking Stretch out of his cyclical thought pattern. "AND YOU HAVE FUN TALKING TO HONEY!"

"oh, i will, berry. i will."

* * *

Blue trembled in the face of Red's bone and hostile expression. He could feel the intent rolling off of Red, and it was more than enough to kill Blue. If Red leaned forward even a centimetre, Blue would be gone. He didn't dare move, even to speak.

Red didn't seem to like that. He growled. The growl was abruptly cut off when a familiar hand rested on Red's shoulder. Blue sighed with relief when Red dropped the bone and glared at his brother. "what the hell, edge? he doesn't belong here! he dropped the dog squad! we need to figure out who he is and why he's here."

Edge didn't seem to be upset by Red's growl, or his expression. Blue was waiting for him to explain that he knew Blue, that Blue was fine. Instead, he said, "I KNOW, BROTHER. BUT I THINK YOUR ATTACK HAS HIM TOO SCARED TO SPEAK. HE DOESN'T SEEM LIKE HE'S GOING TO RUN AWAY. GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO PROPERLY EXPLAIN HIMSELF! YOU CAN ALWAYS BLAST HIM IF HE RUNS AWAY."

That hurt. Blue didn't understand why Edge didn't remember. He did, so why wouldn't Edge? But he didn't want to sound crazy. It would be easier just to pretend he was new, too.

"UM… HI? MY N-NAME IS SANS, BUT EVERYONE C-CALLS ME BLUE. I'M NOT, UM, FROM HERE? I DON'T THINK SO. I D-DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT HERE. I JUST WOKE UP BY A SENT-TRY STATION AND FOLLOWED THE FOOTPRINTS."

Edge and Red both visibly relaxed, and Red's aggressive aura dropped. That confused Blue. It was like they knew what that meant. Edge had never mentioned anyone else arriving like he and Stretch had, but he had reacted like they weren't exactly a surprise. Who would have visited, though? How many universes were there? Dozens? Hundred?

"well, that settles that. now, what did you do to the dog squad? they don't look dead, and you've got no lv. what gives?" Red asked.

Blue swallowed nervously. "I, UM, SEDATED THEM? I'VE GOT ALL THE TRAINING TO BE A HEALER AND A DOCTOR, BUT MY QUEEN REFUSED TO SIGN MY LICENSE BECAUSE OF… REASONS."

Red jumped on that. "what kind of reasons? why the hell would anyone refuse to sign someone into being a full healer? those are super rare."

Blue gulped. So much for keeping that bit of him private. Yeah, Edge had learned about it… earlier… but Blue didn't really like talking about this. It was scary. "THERE'S… THESE RULES, IN MY WORLD. IF YOU BREAK THEM, NO MATTER FOR WHAT REASON, THEN YOU ARE FOREVER A RULE-BREAKER AND A PERFECT TARGET FOR HATE, VIOLENCE, AND DISCRIMINATION. I BROKE SEVERAL OF THESE RULES, SO, EVEN THOUGH MY TEACHERS SAID I WAS THE BEST SOUL SURGEON IN MY CLASS, THE QUEEN DECIDED SHE DIDN'T WANT ME TO PRACTICE MEDICINE."

Red narrowed his eyes. "what kind of rules? did you murder someone?"

Blue shook his head so hard he got dizzy. "NO! I PROMISED MY DAD I WOULD NEVER HURT ANYONE! NO, I, UM… CAN I JUST TELL YOU THE RULES?"

"no, i want to know what you did," Red said with a frown. "i don't trust you.

"FINE…" Blue gulped. He looked down at the ground, unable to meet their eyes. "THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN I WAS SIX. M-M-MY DAD'S BOSS R-RAPED ME. I WAS HURT SO BADLY THAT I HAD TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL FOR WEEKS. THAT MEANT I BROKE THE CHILDREN'S CURFEW, WHICH IS ONE OF THE RULES."

Red and Edge both frowned. "so, let me get this straight. someone raped you so bad at the age of six that you would have died if you weren't in the hospital. because of this, you were stuck as a rule-breaker for the rest of your life? that sucks, dude."

"YES. YES IT DOES," Blue said with a sigh. "BUT THAT'S PART OF WHY SHE REFUSED TO SIGN MY LICENSE."

Red jumped on that. "and what's the rest of it?"

Blue couldn't seem to catch a break from him. He opened his mouth to answer, but Edge beat him to it. "RED, LEAVE IT. HE DOESN'T HAVE TO TELL YOU HIS LIFE STORY JUST BECAUSE HE ANNOYED YOU. LEAVE HIM BE."

"we don't know a thing about where he's from! he could be..." Red sounded mad.

Blue started shaking. All the times he had argued with Stretch came back to haunt him. He didn't want to be the reason they got into an argument. Edge might not remember how much it hurt him when Red died, but Blue did. "P-P-PLEASE," Blue said over whatever Red had been saying, "DON'T FIGHT OVER ME. I DON'T MIND T-T-TELLING YOU, REALLY!"

Edge did not seem to believe him. "WE'RE NOT FIGHTING. IF WE WERE FIGHTING YOU WOULD SEE A LOT MORE AGGRESSION. WE'VE FOUGHT BEFORE. THIS ISN'T EVEN AN ARGUMENT. RED'S JUST BEING DRAMATIC."

Red rolled his eyes. "i'm not being dramatic, i'm just being cautious. and you know felldyne will want to know everything. she always does, the little bitch."

Blue let out a surprised little giggle and was rewarded with his first smile from Red. It was dazzling. Was this what he looked like when he smiled? Stars, Blue just wanted to soak up that smile like it was water in a sponge. No wonder Stretch was always hounding him to smile more…

And with that thought, Blue's little moment of sunshine ended. He sighed and looked down on the snow. It was still gritty and grey, and it fit his mood perfectly. He scuffed his blue rubber boots in it. They still looked just as stained as they had when he'd put them on this morning. Last morning? Sometime in the future? How should he even begin to describe this time stuff?

"hey, don't be so down! we can just tell her to fuck off. she's used to that from me."

Blue looked up to catch an encouraging, cheeky grin on Red's face. Edge's expression, tiered behind Red's, was one of long-suffering and amusement. It was so nice to see his face without the lines of sorrow that had been etched into it before. He looked younger, happier. Blue was glad for him.

"THAT'S NOT IT," Blue said quietly. "I WAS JUST… REMEMBERING SOMETHING FROM BACK HOME. I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT."

Red and Edge exchanged a look. Blue couldn't read their expressions, but, since he knew they were soul-bonded, they were probably talking mind to mind. Eventually Red turned to him and spoke. "well, there's no need to worry about that! with all the visitors we have i've gotten really good at repairing the machine. you'll be back home before you know it!"

That only made Blue feel worse. He didn't want to go back to a world that hated him. He wanted to stay here. But it would be weird if he said that so soon after "arriving", so he forced himself to say, "THANKS. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT."

Edge studied him, then turned. "COME. LET'S GET YOU SET UP AT THE HOUSE BEFORE IT GETS DARK."

Blue followed him, absolutely sure that he was only pushing the time closer where he would return to his misery.


	14. Chapter 14 - Promises and Bedding

"we have a huge problem, honey," were the first words Stretch said when he slammed open the door to the basement. The walk through the cold of Snowdin had only made him more scared. His eyes darted around, every shadow on the ground and bend in the trees hid a creepy, smiling face. It wasn't Chara he was wary of, no. How could he have forgotten _them_? _They _had to be out there, here, watching him from the shadows like the creepy little stalker they were.

Honey, who had been working on the machine's inner gears, bumped his head as he jumped. Then he slid out of the compartment and hopped up, ready to go. "what kind of a problem, stretch?"

Stretch stole one furtive glance around the room as he closed the door. No, _they_ weren't here. He shuddered as he said _their_ name. "temmie. they're-"

"-you mean the living doll berry talks to? yeah, they're a little freaky, but they're not a problem. they've given up on finding any new endings now that chara controls the timeline. now they just follow chara around and mess with berry."

Stretch swallowed. "no, not yours, mine. mine promised that the next time something big happened they were going to shoot themselves up with determination and take over the timeline. then they were going to kill chara. slowly. painfully. tortuously. chara is a good kid. they make friends with everyone, even blue. they've never hurt a monster in the entire time they've been in control. humans are different. they, uh, kinda got tortured by their family the last time we made it to the surface. i promised them that i would keep them safe this time, and my phone says they've just fallen into the underground."

That was… mostly true. The bit about Chara being a good kid was true, his promise to them was true, and Temmie's promise to take over the timeline was real, but it wasn't Temmie who had promised to hurt the kid. No, it was his old friend and mentor, River. They might be scattered outside time and space, but that didn't stop them from hurting Chara Stretch had promised River that he wouldn't tell anyone about them unless they already knew, and he wasn't certain if Honey knew, so he couldn't tell him. Promises were a huge headache.

Honey sucked in a huge breath through his teeth. "shit. and this machine is still a few days away from being finished. how about this: you can work on the machine while i go and see taz. just don't tell berry that i let you do it."

Stretch stiffened. On the one hand, that was what he wanted, but on the other hand… "who's taz? why can't you stay here and work with me?"

"taz is my boyfriend. he used to be the king alongside tori, but he abdicated and now he lives in the ruins. we've been boyfriends since before the timeline started, and friday nights are date nights. it's friday. besides, i can't see straight anymore. i need a break, and i might as well spend it with my boyfriend, am i right?"

Honey was smiling at the end. Damn that smile. Didn't he see that Stretch needed him? Didn't he see that-

"i know that look on your face," Crap. Stretch had forgotten to hide his real feelings. Rookie mistake. "and you're thinking, "why would he leave me when i need him most?". i'll tell you why. working when i'm in this kind of a state will mean i make way more mistakes, mistakes that will cost me time later on. a lot of time. i can guarantee you that i would spend as much if not more time fixing those mistakes as i would lose to taking a break. so wipe that look off your face and let me leave."

Stretch sighed. He didn't think he was right. After all, he'd made Blue work through his break times for years without any kind of mistakes! But losing this much time was, really, the only punishment for losing his composure that he deserved. Besides, it was what stupid Stretch would do.

"fine, fine. sorry for the rudeness," Stretch said, stepping aside and doing his absolute best to actually look sorry, "i'm just worried about chara. i'll get to work while you go have fun."

Honey nodded at him and walked out of the basement. Only when he was gone and the door was shut did Stretch let himself loose. He grabbed a trash piece of wiring and tore it to pieces, imagining how he would hurt his brother once he found him to calm himself down. It didn't work. It never had. But it did allow him to stop the rage that shook his hands enough that he could get to work.

* * *

Red was a talker, Blue had quickly learned. He wasn't sure if it was just for him, but Red had kept up a running commentary the entire time that they had been walking. He pointed out the sights and remarked on the weather. It was… nice. It felt very welcoming, even if there were scattered threats to passers by mixed in. He wasn't used to people wanting to talk to him about such inane stuff. Usually, if someone wanted to talk to him, it was about something much more focused. Everyone knew he was a rulebreaker. You just don't talk to rulebreakers unless you can't help it.

When they came into sight of the house, Red chuckled. "whelp. i guess this is where we part ways. you might as well sleep in the basement with the rats. just kidding! there aren't any rats that i know of, so it might be a bit cold."

Blue didn't even question it. He peeled away from them and went to walk down the stairs. A warm hand grabbed him and stopped him. He turned around. Edge was looking at him with an expression of concern. "BLUE, RED WAS JOKING. I WILL, OF COURSE, BE MAKING UP A BED FOR YOU DOWN THERE."

"YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THAT, EDGE. I'M USED TO SLEEPING IN THE SHED WITHOUT BLANKETS! I'VE EVEN SLEPT OUT THERE IN A SNOWSTORM. IT WAS CHILLY, BUT I MADE IT THROUGH. THE BASEMENT WILL BE PLENTY WARM!" Blue protested.

Both of the others were frowning now. Blue didn't understand why. This was what he was used to. Was there really something wrong with it? The looks they exchanged said there was, and Blue started wringing his hands.

"I CAN SLEEP IN THE SHED IF IT WOULD BE MORE CONVENIENT. I REALLY DON'T MIND. I DON'T WANT TO BE ANY TROUBLE TO YOU!"

"BLUE," Edge spoke slowly and seriously, trying to get his message across. "YOU CAN SLEEP ON THE COUCH INSIDE THE HOUSE. WE WOULDN'T EVEN MAKE A PRISONER SLEEP INSIDE THE SHED WITH A SPACE HEATER AND EVERY BLANKET WE OWN DURING A HEAT WAVE. WE ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU DO IT NOW, AND WHOEVER DID IT TO YOU IN THE PAST REALLY NEEDS TO HAVE THEIR MOTIVES QUESTIONED."

Blue felt the tears pricking at the corner of his eye sockets. But… it was his brother. He would get mad when he found Blue in his room, even if Blue was only there to get his laundry, which he... invariably… forgot to put out in the hall. If he caught Blue in there, he would make Blue sleep outside… in the cold… without even a jacket or a blanket…

"OH… THAT WASN'T VERY NICE OF HIM, WAS IT?" Blue said quietly. It felt like saying it too loud might make Stretch hear him, and he didn't want that.

Red nodded. "yeah, there's absolutely no excuse for treating someone that way unless you're trying to torture or kill them. you'd be a heck of a lot safer if you left him and moved as far away from him as you can. you got that, blue boy?"

Blue smiled sadly. If only that were possible, but he had a feeling it wasn't. Still, he didn't want to make either Red or Edge feel down. "I'LL TRY. THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME ABOUT IT."

Edge nodded at him. "OF COURSE. NOW, LET'S GO GET SOME FOOD INTO YOU AND GET INTO BED. I HAVE A FEELING FELLDYNE WILL BE COMING TO MEET YOU IN THE MORNING, AND YOU'LL NEED ALL OF YOUR RESERVES TO DEAL WITH HER… UNIQUE BRAND OF INTEREST. BE WARNED."

Blue smiled. He was looking forward to seeing Felldyne again. Maybe she would remember him. He could only hope.


	15. Chapter 15 - Temmie and Waffles

Stretch squinted his eye sockets in an attempt to read the teeny handwriting on Honey's plans. Honestly, who wrote that small? It was impossible to read! How was he expected to make any progress on this machine if he couldn't read the fucking plans?

"You've got that capacitor in the wrong spot, stupid. If you turn the machine on you're going to fry yourself."

Stretch dropped the soldering gun, accidentally burnt his hand, swore, and spun around - all in about the space of a second. There, sitting behind him and yawning, was the creature that haunted his nightmares. Temmie looked a little different, but not by much. Instead of the yellow and green striped shirt he was used to this Temmie wore one that was blue and purple. Also, their tail was longer and thinner than the one he knew back home. But the jaw hinged in the same terrifying place: all the way back at the base of the neck. Hundreds of sharp teeth gleamed at him. He could even see some chunks of bloody meat from Temmie's last meal.

"Wow, you're twitchy. I haven't even done anything yet," the creature said.

Stretch shuddered. His memory replayed for him perfectly all the things that his Temmie had done to him. "you don't need to. i've got a pretty good imagination."

"You don't need one, though, do you? I can see your LV. You're crueler than I am to somebody, and it isn't your human," Temmie said accurately. Stretch stiffened. He hadn't told anyone that here. Why did Temmie know? "If I had to guess I'd say it was your brother. The way you're obsessed with getting back to him is a little more than just the emotions of a brother. Your rage problems definitely go hand in hand. Oh, don't give me that look. I've been exploring this world and its inhabitants for centuries worth of RESETs. I know how to read a face better than any of these idiots."

Stretch didn't give them the satisfaction of doing what they wanted. Instead, he kept up his facade. He let a few tears fall down out of his sockets. Stupid Stretch would definitely be scared and saddened by what Temmie had said. "I- I don't know w-w-what you mean!"

Temmie laughed. It was the kind of laughter that could haunt your nightmares. "Oh, yes, I can read you. You don't like that, do you? You're used to being the one in control, but here you're not. I can see the frustration building in you. I wonder what will happen when that bubble of yours pops? Who are you going to take all that anger on, hmm? I can't wait to find out. Just one piece of advice: Honey will remember RESETs, but Berry won't."

Stretch sniffled, still clinging to his disguise even as he grew that much more furious. "I'm… I'm not…"

Temmie shrugged. "You can pretend all you want, but you can't fool me. Chara will be out of the Ruins tomorrow. They've mostly done neutral runs. They like to kill Taz for being so patronizing towards them and trying to keep them from leaving. I have no doubt that that's what they'll do this time. Honey usually is too busy grieving to notice much else. Just, please, do your worst in a room where I can see. I'm getting bored of living through the same things happening over and over and over again."

Stretch's anger grew. Oh, he knew who he was taking his anger out on, alright. Blue could wait. He had two interlopers on his territory who needed to pay. He could already picture what he was going to do to them. The thing that he couldn't decide on was whether to let Berry find them and suffer, or make him watch, or hurt him, too.

Stretch said, "That sounds-"

"Oh, please, don't bother. We both know it's an act. Just let me leave so you can get back to work frying yourself with this machine."

Stretch opened his mouth to protest, but Temmie was out of the room before he could gather the breath to speak. He stared after them, went up the stairs and closed the door to the basement behind them, and then went back to work on the machine. He would wait until he saw little Mx. Chara himself before he went through with his plan. After all, he didn't want Honey to find out, now did he?

* * *

Blue woke up well before the first light came through the windows. It wasn't all that odd for him to do so. It was the only time he could get his shopping done. Most stores opened early, and it was expected that rulebreakers would shop before everyone else had woken up. Blue had been thrown out of shops later in the day, just because of his past. He always felt sorry for the cashiers in those early hours. Most of them were rulebreakers like him, though, so he could at least be glad they had managed to find work.

This morning he wasn't waking up to do the shopping. He hadn't had to worry about that ever since he was brought to this world. He wasn't trying to catch Edge before he snuck out of the house, either. No, Blue woke up early because he wanted to thank Edge and Red for letting him sleep in their house. He would gladly cook for them.

Blue started by surveying the pantry. There were more things in it than he kept in his own house! He was used to making do with the bare essentials in order to save money, but now he was faced with a huge variety. Most of this stuff he wouldn't know how to cook with, but some of it appealed. The inspiration came when he saw the waffle iron in the bottom of the cupboard. He loved waffles, and it had been a long time since he had made them. He grabbed some flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract. From the fridge he grabbed eggs, milk, and blueberries. He loved blueberries, and, at least back home, they weren't too expensive. He didn't want to break Red and Edge's budget by using ingredients that would cost too much to replace.

Then Blue moved on to preparing the dry mix. In a large bowl, he mixed together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; then he set it aside. While he was doing this he preheated the waffle iron. In a separate bowl, he stirred in the milk, butter and vanilla. That was the wet mix. He poured the wet mix into the dry and stirred them together. Then he beat the eggs until they were fluffy and white and folded them into the rest of the batter. From there, he began to cook the waffles in the buttered waffle iron, sprinkling the blueberries into the mix to taste.

The smell must have drifted up the stairs to the brothers' bedroom, because, just as he was finishing up the first waffle, Red and Edge came down the stairs. They were positively intertwined; Red's arm was around Edge's back and Edge' hand was on Red's shoulder, fingering the collar around his neck. Blue smiled up at them. They were absolutely adorable together.

They were also surprised. Edge was blinking fast and his jaw was lax. It wasn't quite hanging open, but it was close. Red's, however, was hanging open. He closed it and, eyes sparkling, growled, "making yourself really at home here, aren't cha?"

Blue shivered. He didn't like it when people were mad at him, and Red sounded mad. His eye lights were confusing him, though. They looked so… happy? If Blue ignored the rest of his face, he almost would have guessed that Red was laughing. That didn't mean much to him, though. Stretch sometimes looked like that when he was hurting Blue. "I JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU SOMETHING TO EAT AS THANKS FOR BEING SO NICE TO ME. I CAN PAY YOU BACK FOR THE INGREDIENTS. I-"

"BLUE," Edge said calmly, concern and amusement warring in his eyes, "RED WAS JOKING. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY US BACK."

"OH," Blue said, looking up at Red. The other was smiling and nodding.

"boss is right, blue. i'm sorry for scaring you. i was just teasing you. this is a good surprise. are those blueberries in the batter?"

Thankful for the distraction, Blue nodded. "I SAW THEM IN THE FRIDGE AND THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE TASTY. I CAN ALSO MAKE PLAIN ONES IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD PREFER."

Red salivated. "blueberries sound great! chocolate would be better, but we're out right now. i should know. i ate the last of it!"

Edge chuckled. He had gone over to another cupboard and was pulling out plates and cups. "I KNEW THAT WAS YOU, RED. FELLDYNE HATES CHOCOLATE. HONESTLY, IF YOU WANTED A SCAPEGOAT THEN ANYONE WOULD BE BETTER THAN HER. EVEN ME! NOW, BLUE, WHY DON'T YOU MAKE A FEW MORE? AT LEAST THREE; RED IS A GLUTTON FOR BLUEBERRIES. A FEW MORE WOULD BE BEST. WE CAN FREEZE THE ONES WE DON'T EAT. WE CAN HELP YOU IF YOU WANT."

It was Blue's turn to blink. He wasn't used to having help. Maybe… "COULD YOU HANDLE THE DRINKS? YOUR CABINETS ARE A BIT TALL FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO POUR ON."

Red laughed. It wasn't a mean spirited laugh. It was the kind of laugh that invites others to join in. "heh. you could say you need a little bit of a _leg up_. _legs _get you a stool, before you're on your last _legs_."

"RED-" Edge began to say, but Blue's laughter interrupted him.

"MWEH HEH HEH!" Blue giggled. He instantly slapped his hands over his mouth. Stretch hated when he laughed like that.

Apparently Edge and Red didn't share that opinion. Red was grinning like he'd won the lottery, and Edge… Edge was blushing like mad, his face lit up a deep maroon.

"heh, see, boss? someone appreciates my jokes. now, _egg-_scuse me while I start on some fried eggs. protein would be good, seeing as we're taking you to see felldyne today," Red said casually. Blue smiled. He was looking forward to seeing Felldyne again. Maybe she would remember him? The thought fueled his big smile as he finished cooking the waffles, the happy sounds of puns and groans wrapping him in safety.


	16. Chapter 16 - Torture and Rape Aftermath

Stretch prepares to enact his plan on Spike and TNT. Blue re-meets Felldyne and helps Scales recover from being raped.

WARNINGS: Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Rape, Rape Aftermath, Forced Pregnancy, Death Threats

Getting ahold of his targets was surprisingly easy. It was like neither Spike nor TNT had ever faced a serious threat. Stretch let himself laugh when he finally had them tied down in the empty shed he knew would be hiding in the depths of Waterfall. It had plenty of holes in it, so Temmie would easily be able to watch. Stretch suspected that he had seen them through one of the lower holes on the east wall. "nyeh heh heh heh! wow, did you seriously think that i needed help with a surprise for berry? you really are idiots."

Spike growled and TNT grunted. He hadn't gagged either of them because he wanted to hear them scream. it had been so long since blue had screamed. now he usually whimpered, which wasn't nearly as satisfying. The other advantage of not gagging TNT and Spike was that he could have some fun with bantering. Stretch wasn't really a monologuer. He was definitely more of a banterer.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing? Don't you know who we are, stranger?" Spike spat. She looked a lot like the Captain Alphys of his world, only she had a sci fi inspired pair of glasses that formed one long arc around her skull. They had slots in them, but they were probably far sturdier than a pair of glasses. Maybe that was the point. They looked ridiculous.

Stretch let a crazed grin slide across his skull. "oh, i know. you are the captain of the royal guard in this world, and she is the royal scientist of this world. you're also encroaching on my territory by claiming to be the datemates of berry. i don't like that."

They both recoiled as much as they could with their being tied down. "I'm sorry, _what_ did you just say?!" TNT said, outraged. She was taller than Stretch and looked similar to the Dr. Undyne of his world, only her eyes were very noticeably two different sizes.

Stretch hissed, "you are claiming to be the datemates of berry and i don't like it."

"We've been dating Berry for years now, and Berry says that you just got here a week ago. You don't get to decide who gets to date him, freak," Spike growled.

Stretch laughed in a way that sounded way more unhinged than he thought he was, but the effect that it had on Spike and TNT was worth it. They looked deeply perturbed and, for the first time, scared. "oh, i'm not the freak here, _spike_. you are. and i'm going to make you look like it." The two girls struggled against the bonds, but they were thoroughly tied down to the heavy oak tables that he had dragged in for this exact purpose. Neither of them could move. "now, which one of you wants to lose your fingers first?"

* * *

Blue tried not to let Red's surprise at how eager he was to see Felldyne get to him. He was excited to see her again! She had been so nice to him last time. That Edge and Red had been so reluctant to take him really was touching, but he knew he would be fine. He didn't like hiding or lying to people. Even if she decided to hurt him, he had a lot of practice dealing with pain.

As they came into the clearing by Felldyne's house Blue saw her. Felldyne was leaning on the Mad Dummy. Her expression was… arch. "Oh, so you decided to confide in me about this after all, _best friend_. How nice of you."

Edge sighed. "IT WAS HIS IDEA, ACTUALLY. DON'T ASK ME WHY."

Blue stepped forward with a bright smile on his face and held out his hand. "HI! I'M BLUE! I LOVE YOUR ARMOR. IT'S VERY… SHARP!"

Felldyne stared at him like he was from another planet. That was okay with Blue, though. He was used to it. Her stare went on for a while before she laughed. "You're alright, kid. A bit too cheerful, but bold as they come. I like that. You're welcome to hang out with me anytime. I could use a bit of brightness in my life."

Blue couldn't help but widen his smile. "THEN I'LL BRING IT!"

She said thoughtfully, "You should come to my training sessions with Edge. I don't want to find out that someone sliced up that smile into little pieces. You should know how to fight."

Red butted in before Blue could accept. "he says he's a healer, 'dyne, and you should have seen him. he sedated the whole rabbit gang and the dog squad all in one go! if that isn't impressive i don't know what is."

Felldyne froze, staring at him like he was the answer to all her problems. Blue shifted uncomfortably and said, "I HAVE THE TRAINING TO BE A HEALER AND A DOCTOR, BUT I DON'T HAVE A LICENSE. MY QUEEN DIDN'T LIKE SOME THINGS I DID IN THE PAST. THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY SKILLS AS A HEALER, BUT SHE STILL REFUSED TO SIGN MY LICENSE. I-"

"I don't care what you did. I need a healer desperately, and all of the ones here are booked solid. Please help me!" Felldyne pleaded.

Blue felt hugely guilty, but not because he was going to refuse. No, he felt guilty that he hadn't said anything last time. Felldyne needed him. He felt like he had let her down. He couldn't change the past… future… other timeline? He couldn't change it, whatever it was. He could only do his best to help her now. "I'LL DO EVERYTHING I CAN, FELLDYNE. WHAT DO YOU NEED HELP WITH?"

Felldyne shifted nervously from foot to foot. Interesting. "It's Scales, my girlfriend. She's pregnant and needs medical care pretty bad, nerd. I've done my best, but… I'll tell you when we get there, okay?"

Blue nodded quickly. "I UNDERSTAND. YOU WANT A LITTLE PRIVACY, RIGHT? JUST LEAD ME TO HER AND I'LL HELP."

* * *

Blue stared at the tormented face of Scales. She was clearly in a great deal of pain, and so the first thing he did was draw a sigil for pain relief over her to help with that. Then he took a closer look at the rest of her. She looked a lot like his friend Alphys, except without all the muscles and with two somewhat functional eyes. Glasses with swirls were worn over a torn and bloodied lab coat. Blue could see raw flesh beneath the tears. It didn't seem to be actively bleeding anymore, though. He'd still like to put a few stitches in them. They were quite big. The tears weren't the worst part, though. Scales seemed to be bleeding from under her lab coat. When he looked, the summoned magic was raw and also had… a certain white substance that he recognized intimately.

Combined with everything else, Blue had a theory as to what had happened, but he didn't want to out and out say it, so he instead said what he thought was a safe topic. It wasn't. "YOUR BABY SHOULD BE FINE, MS. SCALES. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY TELL THE OTHER PARENT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU."

All four of the other monsters growled. Red and Edge had insisted on coming in as well, and Scales hadn't wanted them to leave. It was a little intimidating to be surrounded by growls, but not nearly as intimidating as it would have been if one of them was his brother.

"fuck it, you deserve to know. that bastard certainly already knows. he's the one who raped her!" Red said darkly.

"OH," Blue swallowed. He really didn't like the implications of that answer, but he could help no matter what. "THEN I WOULD TRY NOT TO TELL HIM. RAPISTS DO NOT REACT IN A GOOD WAY TO BEING TOLD THAT. I KNOW THAT PERSONALLY. I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE SAFE TO LOSE THE BABY AT THIS MOMENT, BUT IN A WEEK OR TWO, YES. RIGHT NOW THE BLOOD LOSS WOULD BE TOO MUCH. I CAN HELP WHEN YOU'RE READY. IT REALLY IS SAFE AT THIS STAGE, AND THE BABY HASN'T DEVELOPED A SOUL YET, JUST A BUNDLE OF MAGIC. I'VE HAD TO LOSE THEM MUCH LATER."

"She can't lose it," Felldyne said darkly, "He said he'd kill her if she-"

"Wait!" Scales yelled, sitting up, "_You've_ had to lose babies from rape at a much later date in the pregnancy?"

Blue blinked and nodded glumly. "I WAS A CUTE KID, AND LEGALLY, BACK HOME, THE CRIME IS THE FAULT OF THE VICTIM FOR NOT TAKING ADEQUATE PRECAUTIONS. THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN TOO MUCH DANGER OF BLEEDING OUT UNTIL I WAS SIX MONTHS IN BECAUSE OF HOW BADLY I WAS HURT. I WAS ONLY SIX."

The room went absolutely silent. Everyone was staring at him. He could feel them judging him, but it wouldn't be the first time. He sighed. Maybe they would all hate him now. He hoped that they would still let him help Scales. She didn't deserve to suffer just because he'd been gullible as a child. Maybe-

Blue, scaly arms swept him up in a hug. They were quickly joined by two sets of bony ones. He squeaked, "A HUG? WHAT-"

"Oh shut up and let them hug you!" Scales said from her reluctant place on the bed. "If you hadn't strapped me down to this bed I would be hugging you too. They hugged me when they found out what happened to me! What else besides a hug were you expecting after a statement like that?"

Blue gulped. "IF YOU WANT ME TO SHUT UP, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ANSWER YOU?"

Scales narrowed her eyes at him. "You really mean that, don't you? You're not trying to be smart at all. Just answer the question. I'd rather know that than have you be quiet by a long ways."

"UM… I WAS EXPECTING YOU TO HATE ME? THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE BACK HOME WHO KNOWS HAS DONE. IT'S BEEN 17 YEARS SINCE ANYONE'S HUGGED ME BECAUSE I GOT RAPED," Blue said honestly.

Red's skull snapped down to face him from where it had been resting on top of his skull. "what about your brother? didn't he hug you?"

"I WASN'T RAPED WHILE HE AND I WERE… TOGETHER. BEFORE THAT, HE WOULD GET MAD," Blue said. Mentally he added 'at me', but he didn't say it out loud. He'd already shared so much personal stuff today, and he really didn't want them to realise how gross he was yet. He wanted to have some friends for a little bit, at least. If he told them that his own brother had been mad at him he was sure that they either would agree with Stretch or not believe him. That was what had happened in the past.

Edge looked at him sympathetically. "I UNDERSTAND. I KNOW I GET MAD WHEN I FIND OUT SOMEBODY HAS BEEN RAPED. I JUST KNOW THAT THERE'S VERY LITTLE POINT IN SHOWING IT, AT LEAST WHERE FELLGORE IS CONCERNED."

Blue's eye lights blew out wide. He squeaked, "YOUR KING? YOUR KING IS THE ONE WHO DID THIS?"

All of the others nodded. Felldyne eventually said, "He's the only one who could get away with it, Blue. The Queen made the laws about the Big Four back before their children died, and long before she did. The King made the rule after he'd killed her that he was exempt from them."

Blue let out a huff and stomped his foot. "THAT'S… THAT'S SO UNFAIR! WHY DO THE ROYALS ALWAYS TREAT THEIR PEOPLE LIKE PUPPETS? THEY ACT LIKE WE AREN'T REAL, AND THEY ARE, AND IT'S REALLY UNFAIR! I WISH I COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, BUT I'M SO WEAK I'D BE DUSTED IN AN INSTANT. IT'S JUST… SO UNFAIR!"

He couldn't read the expressions that passed between the other four, but they didn't leave him in the dark for long. "What if you could, Blue? Would you really help?" Felldyne asked appraisingly.

"OF COURSE I WOULD!" Blue said firmly. "I PROMISED MY DAD THAT I WOULD DO ANYTHING I COULD TO HELP PEOPLE!"

More expressions passed. Then, slowly, Scales said, "I think we might be able to do it. But we can't talk about it up here. Blue, come unstrap me. Felldyne, come carry me down to the basement. I'll be safer down there anyway. I think I have a plan."


End file.
